Maximo: Ghosts to Glory (2024)

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, known simply as Maximo (マキシモ Makishimo) in Japan, is a 3D hack and slash platform game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. The game is based in the Ghosts n' Goblins/Makaimura universe, and featured original designs of Japanese manga artist Susumu Matsushita. It's a part of PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits.

Story[]

Maximo, a brave knight, thinking he’d found a trustworthy assistant in the likes of Achille, decided to leave his apprentice behind and go out into the wars that were fought. Achille turned out to be a villain, took control over Maximo's kingdom, and now the land is in trouble.

Upon returning to his throne room where Sophia and Achille are, he is killed by Achille's dark power. He is met by Grim, who explains that Achille has been using a drill to harvest the dead from the underworld to create his undead army. Grim then enters a contract with Maximo: he will be kept alive as long as he retains possession of the Death coin. The reason that Grim does this because, in his words, "if there are no more dead, (he is) out of a job." His four sorceresses of the council have been imprisoned, and Achille has spread them across the world, hiding them in four separate towers. To make matters even worse, Achille has taken Maximo’s love as a bride.

Development[]

In 1999, Capcom introduced Maximo manga to video games, in an attempt to merge Ghosts 'n Goblins universe with Matshushita's work. The title was originally planned for Nintendo 64 but was delayed for several years and transferred for the PlayStation 2. Maximo was presented in E3 2001 and released in the end of the same year in Japan and in early 2002 in United States and Europe.

The concept was created by Capcom Digital Studio head David Siller who wanted to bring back "old school" game play. The game was produced by Mark Rogers and designed by David Siller, Bill Anderson and Scott Rogers. Jonathan Casco was the art director.

The artistic team placed special emphasis on the design and rendering of the characters, as well as putting a great deal of work into the environmental effects. The game's music, which varies from stage to stage, includes orchestrated remixes of the tracks found in Ghosts 'n Goblins and Ghouls 'n Ghosts composed by Tommy Tallarico.

Gameplay[]

Maximo takes place in a dynamic, fully 3D world. The character is controlled by the player can move freely space by running, jumping, crouching, and performing other various motions. Gameplay revolves around defeating large numbers of enemies, which can be accomplished by attacking with a sword and shield and combos and special moves. Like in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series, Maximo fights wearing armor. If he is hit, he will lose the armor and continue wearing his boxer shorts.

Affiliation With the Ghosts 'n Goblins Universe[]

While the two series share a similar art style, heart boxers, music, and apparently a universe; it is unknown precisely how the two series tie together. The Ghosts 'n Goblins and even Gargoyle's Quest games take place primarily in the Demon Realm, which is not mentioned at all in Maximo. It may relate somehow to the Underworld, where human souls exist in Maximo, though the undead is created through extracting such souls rather than bringing the demons that do exist as such in their realm. There are no characters in common, save for some similar enemy types such as zombies.

It is unknown if this takes before or after the Makaimura games, as they both take place in medieval settings with similar types of monarchy. Perhaps the fact that the characters names are loosely based on historical Greco-Roman figures (as opposed to mythical Medieval ones) hints that it takes place prior, assuming that they are influenced by real world chronology, however this is probably false if Arthur does indeed appear in the second game.

Reception[]

Maximo was well received, though criticized for being difficult and inaccessible. Saving is restricted to predetermined points and certain levels present obstacles that some have declared too challenging to overcome. The reviews were mixed, portraying the difficulty of the game. A sequel, Maximo vs. Army of Zin was released in 2003 with better critical reception. Ghost to Glory achieved PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits status in the United States selling more than 400000 units in North America.

Characters[]

• Maximo
• Grim
• Sophia
• Achille
• Lenore
• Mamba Marie
• Aurora Lee
• Sephonie

Enemies[]

• Skeleton
• Guardian Skeleton
• Bombardier Skeleton
• Sword Wielding Skeleton
• Zombie
• Ghost
• Polterghost
• Raven
• Rogue Wizard
• Mimic
• Monster Portal

Bosses[]

• Ghastly Gus
• Bokor Labas
• Captain Cadaver
• Lord Glutterscum
• Demon Queen

Levels[]

The game is split in 5 major worlds: Boneyard, Great Dank, Frozen Wastes, Spirit Realm and Castle Maximo. Each world has four stages to beat and a boss battle.

Boneyard[]

• Level 1: Grave Danger
• Level 2: The Tomb Tower
• Level 3: Dead Heat
• Level 4: Coffin Canyon
• Level 5: Bad To The Bone
• Level 6: Ghastly Gus (Boss)

Great Dank[]

• Level 7: Watery Grave
• Level 8: The Magic Tree
• Level 9: Voodoo Village
• Level 10: 'Dem Bones
• Level 11: Quick And The Dead
• Level 12: Bokor Labas (Boss)

Frozen Wastes[]

• Level 13: Shiver Me Timbers
• Level 14: The Dark House
• Level 15: Go With The Floe
• Level 16: Dead In The Water
• Level 17: Cannonball Run
• Level 18: Captain Cadaver (Boss)

Spirit Realm[]

• Level 19: Infernal Devices
• Level 20: The Iron Tower
• Level 21: Crushed Spirits
• Level 22: The Unkindest Cut
• Level 23: Down The Gullet
• Level 24: Lord Glutterscum (Boss)

Castle Maximo[]

• Level 25: The Seige
• Level 26: The Keep
• Level 27: The Great Escape
• Level 28: Dungeon Of Despair
• Level 29: Atop The Great Drill
• Level 30: Demon Queen (Boss)

Abilities[]

Weapons[]

• Parilla
• Iron Shield

Armor[]

• Underwear
• Steel Armor
• Maximum Armor

Items[]

• Foot Cheese
• Mystery Wheel

Special Abilities[]

Sword Attack Abilities (Green)[]

• Second Strike
• Mighty Blow
• Furious Spin Attack

Shield-Based Abilities (Blue)[]

• Throw Shield
• Mighty Throw
• Hovering Shield
• Shield of Midas
• Shield of Thunder
• Shield of Storms

Magical Sword Abilities (Red)[]

• Long Sword
• Ring of Pain
• Wider Shockwave
• Gold Seeker
• Magic Bolt
• Doomstrike

Armor Abilities (Yellow)[]

• Increased Armor
• Mask of Sorrow

Sword Enhancements[]

• Flame Tongue
• Frostbiter
• Pure Blade
• Armageddon

Sorceresses' Kisses[]

• Lenore's Kiss
• Mamba Marie's Kiss
• Aurora Lee's Kiss
• Sephonie's Kiss

External links[]

• Maximo official Japanese site
• Maximo official North American site (archive)