Page 15 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #39 FREE Edition

I’ll never forget the first time I played Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, a Ghosts ‘n Goblins spinoff developed
by the US-based Capcom Digital Studios and released for the PS2
in February of 2002 (December of 2001 in Japan). It was the summer of 2002, and I booted it up in our game room, with my young son Ryan and his neighborhood friend Tommy looking on. I had heard
the game was a throwback to old- school platformers. I was told that it was a pure, challenging, largely linear platformer that was all about the action. As such, I rushed out to GameStop and bought a copy.
The game, which features 30
stages spread over five worlds, begins in The Boneyard, and
I was immediately sold on the gameplay as I guided Maximo while he hacked skeletons to pieces, opened treasure chests, destroyed tombstones, encountered ghosts
(which are annoying, admittedly), collected gold coins, explored secret caves, upgraded his armor, shield, and sword, and ran and jumped through harrowing platforming areas to his heart’s content.
The camera, while not perfect,
was solid, Maximo’s sword, which made a satisfying clanging sound when hitting hard objects, was fun to wield, and the controls worked extremely well. The boys were mesmerized watching me play the game, thanks in part to its cute, yet atmospheric graphics, which you could describe as Disney-by-way- of-Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness. The charming character designs were courtesy of Japanese artist Susumu Matsushita, who also worked on the Adventure Island series for the NES and Motor Toon Grand Prix for the PlayStation.
At its core, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory is a tale of heroism, sacrifice, and the undying fight against evil. Maximo is a valiant knight who, upon returning from war, finds his kingdom in disarray. His beloved, Sophia, is imprisoned, and the realm is overrun by the undead,
all orchestrated by the nefarious Achille. The narrative, though simple, is imbued with a charm and wit that resonates with players, even decades later. It's a story that doesn't take itself too seriously, allowing for an experience that's humorous as well as challenging.
Over the next few days, as time would allow (the game takes around a dozen hours to beat),
I happily played through the remaining levels: the swampy Great Dank, the frozen Graveyard of Ships, the fiery Realm of Spirit, and the
siege-torn Castle Maximo, each
of which climaxes with a battle against a huge boss. The game evokes a time when video games demanded precision and patience from their players, but it’s not as difficult as some of the NES killers that inspired the game, including Ghosts ’n Goblins, so I never really grew frustrated with it, even though saving your progress (at a hub world pool) costs 100 gold coins.
Maximo was created in part by then-Capcom Digital Studios studio head David Siller, who has cited Ghosts ’n Goblins as his favorite arcade game of all time. A devoted retro game collector and student
of the art form, Siller, who was the producer on Crash Bandicoot, wanted to bring back the visceral thrill and pure challenge of the best 8- and 16-bit platformers, particularly titles from Capcom.
In issue #152 of Electric Gaming Monthly (March 2002), Siller said, “Capcom had made classics like Trojan and Knights of the Round, Magic Sword, the Ghosts ’n Goblins/ Ghouls ’n Ghosts series. So, we thought, ‘What if we took cute little elements of those and an all-new set of characters and we built
the 22nd-century version of the franchise?’ But the intent wasn’t to recreate the 16-bit era: It was just to create a great 3D game. So many 3D games have gotten away from that instantaneous fun factor, that easy entry, tight controls, and instant fun.”
Maximo does indeed draw inspiration from a variety of classic titles, but its ties to the Ghosts franchise are the most blatant and the most pervasive. Devoted fans of
5 5
MAXIMO: GHOSTS TO GLORY
CHALLENGE AND SIMPLICITY
By Brett Weiss
MARCH 2024 • WWW.OLDSCHOOLGAMER.COM
MARCH 2024 • WWW.OLDSCHOOLGAMER.COM 1 1