Remember the Capcom classic "Ghosts 'n Goblins"? You know, the one where you are the knight, Arthur, and you have to run through a whole bunch of hellish areas to get your princess/girlfriend/sexy confidante back? And you used to toss javelins thicker than your head to defeat all the zombies that popped up out of the ground? And when you sustained injury, your armor broke off and you had to run around in your olde moth-trampled boxer shorts? And remember that the game was so damn hard that getting past the first level cost you about half a mortgage and your first-born child in arcade quarters? Those were good times, weren't they? Well, I guess that depends on whether or not you became so frustrated that the joystick broke off in your hands and you had to pay a hefty fine for a replacement. This was one of the main attractions to arcades in the mid-1980s, and fans just couldn't get enough of their top medieval hero. Alright, now step back into our little time machine of wonder and flash forward to 2001, when a bunch of designers, programmers, and the like decided to revive the lost franchise. But they couldn't just whip together a quickie sequel and toss it to the public Majesco-style. No, they had to bring Ghosts 'n Goblins to the new century. Enter Maximo.
Maximo isn't the Arthur of old. No, he's sporting a slightly more modern attitude, although he is still a product of medieval times. Armed not with a tossing javelin this time, but instead with a mighty sword, our great hero Maximo has vowed to save the captured maiden, Sophia, from the nasty wizard, Achille. And along the way, he can save a few other buxom ladies and get kisses from them. The story is indeed the stuff of olde, but that was the intention. The entire game is a direct homage to Ghosts 'n Goblins (and the other similar games in the series, such as Ghosts 'n Ghouls, Ghouls 'n Goblins, etc.) down to every detail. Let's look at the similarities in a handy checklist format.
| | GHOSTS 'N GOBLINS | | MAXIMO: GHOSTS TO GLORY |
 | Knight in shining armor |
| Knight in shining armor |
| Rescue a loved damsel |
| Rescue a loved damsel |
| Armor peels off when injured |
| Armor peels off when injured |
| Everyone wants the legendary golden armor |
| Everyone wants the legendary golden armor |
| Classic G'n'G tune |
| Classic G'n'G tune |
| Zombies pop up from underground |
| Zombies pop up from underground |
| ...in coffins |
| ...in coffins |
| Use coloured keys to unlock stuff |
| Use coloured keys to unlock stuff |
| Extra lives are scarce |
| Extra lives are scarce |
| Difficult as hell |
| Difficult as hell |
So there you have it: Maximo is indeed the spiritual successor to the Ghosts 'n Goblins series. But let it be known that it isn't exactly the same either. Simply putting another carbon copy of Ghosts 'n Goblins on the PlayStation 2 and calling it a day would be most unacceptable. This is a completely 3D excursion, brandishing a slightly more cartoonish but well-planned look. Although it may appear primitive in comparison to many other outstanding PS2 games, the art direction and eerie tones really compliment the atmosphere of the game. The old-school games were never overly colourful at any given time, and this trait has been transferred into the future. The CG cutscenes look very nice as well, adding to the characters' overall fantastical appeal. Meanwhile, the music in the game is actually very subdued but pleasant nonetheless. Not as in your face as in the arcades, the soundtrack hides in the background, but if you listen carefully, you'll be able to hear retooled versions of the old theme songs. It's very refreshing.
Though not an overly complex game by any means, the real challenge comes from actually playing the game itself. This game is damn hard and unforgiving, and considering the lack of a good life-gaining system, that's a tad harsh. However, for a small fee in Death Coins, you can be revived by your buddy, the Grim Reaper, if you lose all your lives. The fee goes up with each meet and greet, though. Enemies can sometimes be relentless in trying to slap you around -- especially ones that block your attacks with their shields. There are numerous areas where you are required to hop across platforms or tumble to your undesired doom. As well, all boss fights seem absolutely ridiculous at first -- though, once you get the hang of their patterns and figure out what is expected of you, they become much more enjoyable. I'd say the boss fights feel like they were ripped right from a Rare game instead of a Capcom game. Yes, it's like playing Banjo-Kazooie all over again! Thankfully, the controls have been tweaked enough to ensure that any untimely deaths are the fault of the player and not the game itself. I wish the camera had the same sense -- I found myself readjusting it far too often to see what the heck was in front of me. Not seeing what was ahead caused a few demises that I was quite upset with. Thank goodness they installed checkpoints into all the levels -- I'd hate to have to restart one of these ghoulish levels from scratch after nearing its completion. Still, I found myself dropping the F-bomb more than a few times at all the cheap hits this game throws at you. But suck it up: the high difficulty was intended to emulate that of the classics, and Capcom succeeded. They also went a little bit beyond their call of duty by hiding treasures and secrets around every level; once you reach the end, the game offers up a completion percentage. Get 100% -- find every single thing -- and you'll get some neat bonus material, including a new level to go through. Okay, so it's just the first level backwards...
Maximo: Ghosts To Glory isn't a particularly lengthy game, though it can be if you are ill-prepared for a quest of this impenetrability. But with up to thirty separate levels (including boss battles) containing admirable distances to traverse, you'll be spending more than a single sitdown on this. Once you get past the difficulty level, you'll discover a decent, though not particularly outstanding, platformer that serves its precise purpose: the invocation of nostalgia. Still, I didn't experience the thrills that I would find from other 3D platformers, such as Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie. Perhaps the difficulty was just that off-putting. Either way, if you're looking for something different and a heavy challenge, look no further than Maximo: Ghosts to Glory.
