Maximo vs. Army of Zin

"A hero in boxer shorts. Superb."

Ghouls 'n' Ghosts for the Super Nintendo was one of the most challenging games around. The dedication, skill and luck needed to finish it has only been achieved by a handful of gamers. There were a lot of games like this around the 16-bit era but lately it seems the gaming world has gone soft. In 2004 it's not uncommon for games to be purchased, played and finished (and even re-sold) in a single day and whilst that formula is fun for some I don't find it too enticing.

In 2002 Capcom released Maximo: Ghosts to Glory which was essentially a 3D take on the classic Ghouls 'n' Ghosts formula and it bought across many of the elements across from the earlier Super Nintendo game. The difficulty is still there and it's certainly wall punching material. It gets right under your skin and makes you work for every save point, upgrade and item. Thats what makes it so good.

Maximo Vs. The Army of Zin is a stupid name for a videogame. It's also the follow up title for Ghosts to Glory and of the titles released this year Army of Zin has turned out to be one of my favourites despite the odd title that graces its cover. I can't quite put my finger on why either. It's a quirky old game, many of the elements are simply evolved or as they were in the original Maximo yet they come together a whole lot better.

Whilst the game is still awfully difficult its a lot less frustrating with fewer 'cheap' deaths and cleaner level design that lends more room for fighting and less objects to try and maneuver around. This is certainly a welcome change and will certainly save a few controllers the pain of being thrown into the wall countless times. Satisfying action sequences and rewards in the form of extra boxer shorts, attractive combos and well placed cut-scenes make all the effort worthwhile.

The clichéd story sees Maximo on a search to find his girlfriend. On the way he stumbles across an army of terrible monsters that would prefer him, and a lot of other people, dead. And so the battle against the Army of Zin begins. Along the way Maximo hooks up with the Grim Reaper and throughout the game players can morph into Grim for short periods of time to use his fighting abilities. It would have been nice to have a bit more time with this fellow but unfortunately it's a bit limited.

It plays out in linear style as players work their way through each level taking down enemies and rescuing innocent people caught up in the fight. The rescuing aspect is often optional, players are not forced to go out of their way to help but the rewards are there is they decide to. Gold, items, health and power ups often come from your efforts. Everything helps you on your quest and taking time to get these things makes this difficult title a fair bit easier.

Combat wise Maximo is very rewarding with a strong combo system and plenty of different moves. Maximo can swing his sword in many different ways and with various armour and offensive upgrades allow players to grow and take down the bigger foes on show. Magic pow pants, the boxers of burning vigor and other such items give the game a humorous touch that helps keep the game fun despite it's difficult nature.

Visually Maximo: Army of Zin's tidy. It's nothing expansive, new or original but it gets the job done. The game has a fairly simple texture set but there is a enough variety to keep all of the levels unique and interesting. Maximo battles his way through villages, mountains and valleys in his quest and the continued development of the story seems to improve the visuals on offer. Particle effects and animations for the main character and his foe seem to improve over time as the character grows and attains new moves and abilities.

The camera system is intuitive and this is handy considering how difficult this title is. You'll never find yourself disappearing behind walls or getting lost in enclosed spaces although at times things can get a little dizzy when your battling multiple foe with the camera swinging backwards and forwards. Maximo also has a wonderful selection of FMV cut-scenes that are played at well with nice animations although some of the sequences can look a little washed out in places.

With the classic 'knight-in-shining-armour' setting the soundtrack is a lot like classic 70's King Arthur-esque movies. It's dramatic in places but often it takes a back seat to the action and in certain areas it completely disappears. This isn't that much of a problem and like Resident Evil the sudden injection of the soundtrack can intensify the action further.

Many games that were bought into the 3D worlds of Playstation 2, GameCube and Xbox have lost a lot of their original charm, challenge and balance in gameplay. Maximo Vs. The Army of Zin does not fall into that category. The charm is alluring, the challenge is there in bucket loads and the balance is well tuned. Those who enjoyed the original Ghouls and Ghosts or any other challenging platform game like Kid Iracus or Super Mario Bros. 3 will really enjoy Army of Zin. So go on, pick up Maximo and reminiscence on times of old, become that worthy knight, save the girl and slash down a bunch of mischievous evil folk. You'll love it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/23/04