A nice and original game brought down by length and replayability.
You play as Frank, a simple alien that must partner up with The Maw, a cute little blob with an insatiable hunger that makes him the most dangerous creature in the galaxy. Gameplay centers on Maw's considerable appetite. When he eats he not only grows but occasionally absorbs the ability of whatever animal he consumes. This gives the game a welcome change of pace and allows Frank the necessary tools to complete each level's puzzles. Feeding Maw different creatures lets him breathe fire, turn into a floating puffball, a horned battering ram, and even a multi-eyed, laser shooting blob you can ride like an elephant.
Your goal is always to reach the end of the level by fattening up Maw and using his stolen skills to solve a few light environmental puzzles. This may mean using the puff-tor power to float upward on wind streams, fooling a giant horned beetle into charging toward a pulsing force field, or breathing fire into clumps of flora to reveal the hidden fauna within. As Frank, you also have a few skills of your own. For example, you can use the leash to grab and fling some creatures and rocks, and you can dodge turret fire with a well-timed button press. These disparate abilities are brimming with possibilities, yet though some of the puzzles are clever, most are incredibly simple, and you'll deal with just a single Maw transformation on every level. With mostly good level design and unique gameplay, you'll have some fun with this.
The graphics and sound are great. The colors are vibrant and the animations are smooth, both of which really add a lot to the total package. It's really one of the best looking XBLA games I've seen. The sounds in The Maw were a particular high point for me. The soundtrack is excellent and fits the feel of the game perfectly. The sound effects, particularly the way Frank calls for The Maw when you try to activate the leash and he's a bit too far away, are hilarious.
While most levels had good level design, a few of them didn't. Also, the camera isn't perfect, it takes some getting used to. Even worse is it's short length and no replay value. You can beat it in 3 hours and there's really nothing to bring you back. Just play it once and you're done.
But it's still worth playing. It's a creative 3D platformer with a solid presentation and it's story is humorous. It's gameplay alone makes it worth checking out despite it's flaws. I hope to see more games like this in the future.
Overall: 8.0/10