Maximo vs. Army of Zin
Capcom Digital Studios' second old-school throwback is as good as they come.
Published: January 29, 2004
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory surprised a lot of people, myself included. Few could have predicted that Capcom's upstart American development wing not only managed to succeed where most Japanese companies' U.S. development operations have failed, but they did so with aplomb, crafting an old-school styled platform jumping-heavy action game that ended up being one of the best games that year.
Perhaps, then, it shouldn't be all that surprising that the sequel, Maximo vs. Army of Zin was treated with the same sense of reverence to the Ghouls N' Ghosts and Ghosts N' Goblins games that game before it. What is a bit surprising, however, is that the game improves on the original in just about every conceivable way.
The balance in difficulty, expansion of story details, more innovative boss battles, upgradable moves and multiple weapon types, new bonus items that make finding and collecting treasure easier, better level design, an improved reward system... All of it is, amazingly, improved over the first game and while the series as a whole is starting to depart from the brought-into-3D nature of the classic 2D gameplay from those old-school Something N' Something classics, it's every bit as welcome in Maximo's new world.
That world is quite a bit removed from the one gamers experienced the first time around, as the sequel picks up about eight months later, with Maximo and his new boney reaper pal Grim traipsing about the countryside in search of Maximo's buxom still-missing hottie Sophia. Grim pokes around in the underworld only to find she hasn't turned up there, so there still could be helped. One night while discussing their plight, Max and Grim are attacked by a clockwork monster, which is easily dispatched, though it's discovered the machine was powered by a trapped soul. After gleaning a bit more info from the locals, the pair quickly find that these machines bear an uncanny resemblance to the Army of Zin legions that were supposedly locked away in a vault 500 years ago. Knowledge in hand, the two head off to find the source of the clockwork scourge and hopefully the whereabouts of Sophia.
Instead of the first game's hub-based system, Maximo instead progresses straight through the countryside, slowly learning more and more about the inhabitants and the circumstances surrounding the Army of Zin. One of the biggest additions to the general gameplay comes in the form of villagers the need saving from Zin attackers. By doing so, you gain their gratitude and depending on the villager, keys, health, armor or cash. Vendors also need to be saved, and are a significant part of the game's other big improvement, the weapons and combat system. Saving a vendor can get you hint scrolls, boxers that do anything from boosting your special meter to finding treasure to enabling you to wear the fabled golden armor (though this time around, you're not invincible while wearing it). You can also purchase upgrades to things like your special meter (used during, well, special moves like sword thrusts and throwing your now-unbreakable shield, upgraded this time around to a standard move) and special moves to complement one of four weapons (two swords, two hammers) you'll slowly acquire during the game.
The combat and exploration are relatively unchanged, though controlling Maximo and unleashing his attacks is far, far easier and fluid than the last game, resulting in fewer missed jumps and better guard-and-attack mechanics. Because you can now block at any time without risk of losing your shield, there's a much deeper strategy system involved in taking enemies on. Hidden chests are still found by simply jumping around where they're buried, though the addition of the Treasure Hunter boxers, which vibrate the controller subtly when you're near a hidden chest, make finding them a whole lot easier than the first game.
Arguably the biggest change from the previous game comes in the form of overall difficulty. While it was certainly admirable for Capcom Digital Studios to make an effort to stay true to the challenge of the old-school hits that spawned the first Maximo, most would say the game was far too difficult for the general gaming public to enjoy. The sequel, on the other hand, is brilliantly balanced, offering a relatively low challenge near the beginning and then slowly working things up until the climax of the game. Boss battles are challenging, but not so difficult that they can't be beaten after a few tries (though the difficulty on them can seesaw a bit as you progress through the game). It's this more controlled hand guiding the game's challenge that shows that even more than the upgrades to the graphics and gameplay, CDS is growing into quite the experienced developer.
Speaking of graphics, Maximo is oddly a little more bland than the first game. The crispness in texture work and overall detail is slightly lower, but the tradeoffs in level size, overall style and improved direction more than make up for it. And that's not to say the game isn't still pretty, it certainly boasts some impressive effects, it's just that the larger levels, more involved triggered cutscenes and scripted events in each level don't allow for the same level of detail that the first game offered.
Luckily, the CG during the game's all too brief pre-rendered interludes is fantastic. While it certainly doesn't boast the same level of realism, the detail and direction are easily on par with any of the stuff you'd see from Capcom's higher-budget Japanese efforts like the Onimusha or Resident Evil games. It's stylized, incredibly clean (something that particularly wowed me since I'm so used to seeing at least some compression artifacting on most CGI bits in games), and does what all good CG should: makes you wish there was more of it.
The sound too had gotten a few kicks up. Most of the same sound effects for picking up treasure, collecting souls and a few of the enemy grunts and effects were carried over from the first game, but you won't find any remixed songs from the old Gouls N' Ghosts games here. Instead, things are bit more languid and melodramatic. There's a sense of tension and a feeling that the destruction breaking out all around the invaded countryside is rather far-reaching at any moment. As in the first game, the effects and music are rather low-key, but that doesn't mean they don't have zing to them, it's just that they tend to take a back seat to what's happening on screen.
There really isn't a single person I wouldn't recommend Maximo's second outing, especially those who played the first game and just couldn't get into it. Literally all the complaints I had with it have been fixed and plenty of new stuff has been injected into the sequel, creating a fresh action game that still feels like it has one foot in the grave of the old-school hits that came before it. Maximo vs. Army of Zin is an absolutely fantastic game, and stands as one of the best ways to enjoy old-school flavor in a decidedly next-generation effort. My hat is off to all the guy and girls at Capcom Digital Studios, who listened to fan feedback and returned with one of the best sequels in years.
Perhaps, then, it shouldn't be all that surprising that the sequel, Maximo vs. Army of Zin was treated with the same sense of reverence to the Ghouls N' Ghosts and Ghosts N' Goblins games that game before it. What is a bit surprising, however, is that the game improves on the original in just about every conceivable way.
The balance in difficulty, expansion of story details, more innovative boss battles, upgradable moves and multiple weapon types, new bonus items that make finding and collecting treasure easier, better level design, an improved reward system... All of it is, amazingly, improved over the first game and while the series as a whole is starting to depart from the brought-into-3D nature of the classic 2D gameplay from those old-school Something N' Something classics, it's every bit as welcome in Maximo's new world.
That world is quite a bit removed from the one gamers experienced the first time around, as the sequel picks up about eight months later, with Maximo and his new boney reaper pal Grim traipsing about the countryside in search of Maximo's buxom still-missing hottie Sophia. Grim pokes around in the underworld only to find she hasn't turned up there, so there still could be helped. One night while discussing their plight, Max and Grim are attacked by a clockwork monster, which is easily dispatched, though it's discovered the machine was powered by a trapped soul. After gleaning a bit more info from the locals, the pair quickly find that these machines bear an uncanny resemblance to the Army of Zin legions that were supposedly locked away in a vault 500 years ago. Knowledge in hand, the two head off to find the source of the clockwork scourge and hopefully the whereabouts of Sophia.
Instead of the first game's hub-based system, Maximo instead progresses straight through the countryside, slowly learning more and more about the inhabitants and the circumstances surrounding the Army of Zin. One of the biggest additions to the general gameplay comes in the form of villagers the need saving from Zin attackers. By doing so, you gain their gratitude and depending on the villager, keys, health, armor or cash. Vendors also need to be saved, and are a significant part of the game's other big improvement, the weapons and combat system. Saving a vendor can get you hint scrolls, boxers that do anything from boosting your special meter to finding treasure to enabling you to wear the fabled golden armor (though this time around, you're not invincible while wearing it). You can also purchase upgrades to things like your special meter (used during, well, special moves like sword thrusts and throwing your now-unbreakable shield, upgraded this time around to a standard move) and special moves to complement one of four weapons (two swords, two hammers) you'll slowly acquire during the game.
The combat and exploration are relatively unchanged, though controlling Maximo and unleashing his attacks is far, far easier and fluid than the last game, resulting in fewer missed jumps and better guard-and-attack mechanics. Because you can now block at any time without risk of losing your shield, there's a much deeper strategy system involved in taking enemies on. Hidden chests are still found by simply jumping around where they're buried, though the addition of the Treasure Hunter boxers, which vibrate the controller subtly when you're near a hidden chest, make finding them a whole lot easier than the first game.
Arguably the biggest change from the previous game comes in the form of overall difficulty. While it was certainly admirable for Capcom Digital Studios to make an effort to stay true to the challenge of the old-school hits that spawned the first Maximo, most would say the game was far too difficult for the general gaming public to enjoy. The sequel, on the other hand, is brilliantly balanced, offering a relatively low challenge near the beginning and then slowly working things up until the climax of the game. Boss battles are challenging, but not so difficult that they can't be beaten after a few tries (though the difficulty on them can seesaw a bit as you progress through the game). It's this more controlled hand guiding the game's challenge that shows that even more than the upgrades to the graphics and gameplay, CDS is growing into quite the experienced developer.
Speaking of graphics, Maximo is oddly a little more bland than the first game. The crispness in texture work and overall detail is slightly lower, but the tradeoffs in level size, overall style and improved direction more than make up for it. And that's not to say the game isn't still pretty, it certainly boasts some impressive effects, it's just that the larger levels, more involved triggered cutscenes and scripted events in each level don't allow for the same level of detail that the first game offered.
Luckily, the CG during the game's all too brief pre-rendered interludes is fantastic. While it certainly doesn't boast the same level of realism, the detail and direction are easily on par with any of the stuff you'd see from Capcom's higher-budget Japanese efforts like the Onimusha or Resident Evil games. It's stylized, incredibly clean (something that particularly wowed me since I'm so used to seeing at least some compression artifacting on most CGI bits in games), and does what all good CG should: makes you wish there was more of it.
The sound too had gotten a few kicks up. Most of the same sound effects for picking up treasure, collecting souls and a few of the enemy grunts and effects were carried over from the first game, but you won't find any remixed songs from the old Gouls N' Ghosts games here. Instead, things are bit more languid and melodramatic. There's a sense of tension and a feeling that the destruction breaking out all around the invaded countryside is rather far-reaching at any moment. As in the first game, the effects and music are rather low-key, but that doesn't mean they don't have zing to them, it's just that they tend to take a back seat to what's happening on screen.
There really isn't a single person I wouldn't recommend Maximo's second outing, especially those who played the first game and just couldn't get into it. Literally all the complaints I had with it have been fixed and plenty of new stuff has been injected into the sequel, creating a fresh action game that still feels like it has one foot in the grave of the old-school hits that came before it. Maximo vs. Army of Zin is an absolutely fantastic game, and stands as one of the best ways to enjoy old-school flavor in a decidedly next-generation effort. My hat is off to all the guy and girls at Capcom Digital Studios, who listened to fan feedback and returned with one of the best sequels in years.
