Maximo vs. Army of Zin

Fast forward to 2004, a time when it isn't uncommon for a player to beat the game on the same day that he or she purchased it.  What is wrong with this picture?  No one wants to pull their hair out, but some of my fondest video game memories have to do with the time I spent dying in Super Ghouls 'N' Ghosts (the SNES version of the sequel to Ghosts 'N' Goblins).  Death is quite becoming when the gameplay is compelling.

That's why it gives me great pleasure to review Maximo Vs. The Army of Zin.  Officially this is not a part of the Ghosts 'N' Goblins series.  Nearly every aspect is the same though, right down to the armor upgrade system (that reveals the knight's humorous boxers when he loses armor).  The enemies are new and robotic, but that's only to conform to the story, which is a partial continuation of the original.  And, to ensure that gamers aren't whining about how weak or difficult the game is, the developers filtered out most of the frustrations present in the previous game.  I was frustrated before, to the point where I wanted to throw the controller and yell and scream.  But I still loved it.  Maximo Vs. The Army of Zin is just as lovable, is very challenging, and will not cause you to break any controllers.

The Army of Zin's two most significant changes are also the game's biggest improvement.  I don't remember how many enemies there were in each of the levels in Ghosts 'N' Goblins, but the original Maximo felt limited compared to how difficult it was.  More often than not you'd die because an enemy knocked you off a platform, a battle that you may have survived had you been fighting on solid ground.  Thus the obvious changes: more battles, better levels.  The levels are more basic, which I normally wouldn't be happy with, but they have a lot of hidden items and a great deal of battles to fight.  Enemies appear in greater numbers and in a wider variety of forms.  You'll battle dozens of robotic knights in every stage, and with strength, size and durability increasing as you progress, winning will be anything but a breeze.  Thanks to the new levels, you won't have to worry about falling too much.  There are some clever stages in which you'll have to take risks to obtain a needed item, but those parts are more fun than frustrating.  Maximo can use his sword to grab onto ledges – the perfect way to avoid death from those risky jumps you'll be taking.

New to the series is the side task of rescuing the villagers.  If you hear screams, or if an enemy is approaching, chances are an innocent person is nearby.  There's no blood, but the game does get a little violent here – if you don't destroy the robots quickly they will kill the villagers.  Saving them is extremely beneficial.  Villagers will award you with coins, armor, and treasure chests.  Some of the villagers who are in danger just happen to be merchants.  If you save a merchant his shop will open up.  Buy a new pair of boxers that indicate where all those treasure chests are hiding.  Buy a new sword, upgrade your armor, or purchase a drink to refill your energy bar.  You can buy scrolls of game hints as well, though I chose not to because I wanted to find everything on my own.  (I know it's not technically cheating to use an in-game guide, but I prefer to spare myself the pain of spoilers.)

Sometimes it can be really tough trying to save the villagers, especially when there are two and you only have enough time to save one.  It's not clear at first, but later on you'll realize that if you move fast enough, nearly every villager can be saved.  Saving every villager, collecting every item, and defeating every enemy is the only way to receive the 100% complete rating.

In a surprising move, Maximo Vs. The Army of Zin uses the classic world map style of Super Mario World.  In the previous game you had to run around a moderately big level, battle enemies, and finally make your way to the next stage.  You could call it a portal stage, similar to the Mushroom Castle of Mario 64.  In The Army of Zin, players can jump from level to level just by moving along the map.  There are no battles to fight in between or hidden items to collect.  I love a good challenge (which this game provides), but this is another welcome change.

I'm amazed that the developers were able to make this game challenging.  Our skills are improving every year, and I know what happens to games when they enter the third dimension.  This makes it so tough to accomplish anything.  The few games that have done it should be in your collection.  This is one of those games.

Gameplay: 8.9
Ten years ago this game would have been titled "Super Maximo."  It's not a rehash by any means, but it's exclusively on PS2, and has all of the qualities of the exclusive, "Super" games made for the SNES.

Fans of Ghosts 'N' Goblins will love finding all of the hidden treasures.  They'll love the familiar sights and similar sound effects.  They'll appreciate the challenging gameplay, and will chuckle at some of the amusing GNG-isms.

Onimusha fans will like The Army of Zin's combo system.  It's not nearly as deep as Onimusha's combo system, but there are several different attacks to unleash, and all of them are fun to perform.

The classic armor upgrade system is back!  Thanks to the countless enemies that Maximo is forced to take on, you'll be battling in your boxers in no time flat.

Grim (the death guy from the original) is back as well, and this time he's here to help...

The boss battles are awesome.  The first one is a bit easier than I expected, but I still loved it.  You'll definitely want to check those out.

Graphics: 7.5
Cartoony and fairly bland.  The Army of Zin's graphics suit the game's classic feel, but they are by no means a form of eye candy.

Sound: 8
I think if I was reviewing this game a year after playing it for the first time my score might be different.  The sound of the series has grown on me over time – in 2005 I might love the music even more than I do now.  I'm still going to have to give it an 8 though, for good music, classic sound effects, and voice acting that puts some of the bigger-budget games to shame.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 8
More of what we knew and loved, less of what we didn't like, and some new additions that make the game a must-buy for all fans of the series.

Overall: 8.7
Anyone who grew up with Ghosts 'N' Goblins or Ghouls 'N' Ghosts would be crazy not to get this game.  It feels like a part of the past but is also a game of the present.  The gameplay is a marvelous mixture of the industry's most prominent eras: the late 80s (8-bit consoles) and the late 90s (32-bit consoles).  I've played other so-called "remakes" and "updates" to past game series, and with the exception of Mario, there hasn't been one that really captures the essence of the series...until now.