I played the first Maximo almost exactly two years ago, and I actually bought this game very soon after, but just never got around to it. The first game was just challenging and awkward enough to play and finish that I never found myself really wanting to hop back in and try and complete it for real this time. I wanted a bit of a break from PS1 RPGs, however, so I thought I might as well knock out some of the shorter PS2 action games I had lying around while I was at it, and hits definitely seemed like it fit the bill. It took me around 7 hours to complete the Japanese version of the game on real hardware.
Maximo Vs. Army of Zin is really exactly what it says on the tin in regards to the narrative. Some time after the events of the first Maximo, our titular hero is still traveling around with his good friend Grim the grim reaper trying to find his lost lady love Queen Sophia (dead or alive) after the events of the last game. However, he stumbles into an entirely new conflict, as the nefarious, immortal soul-powered machines called Zin have mysteriously and suddenly returned despite having been sealed underground centuries ago. It’s up to Maximo and Grim to once again don their sword, shield, armor, and heart-print boxers to get out there and save the world from this evil threat!
As far as PS2 action game narratives go, it’s nothing really special, but it’s got a lot of character to it, and it makes for very fun set dressing for our larger adventure. It’s overall a bit better done than the first game’s story, having a slightly stronger cast of characters to help it in that regard, and the English VA (for which there is actually no Japanese dub at all) also goes a long way in bringing the story to life too (which makes it even funnier that the dub can't seem to decide if Zin is pronounced with a 'z' sound or a 'j' sound x3). Interestingly, just as there’s no Japanese dub (which is understandable, as a TON of Capcom games from this era have that same quality to them), the Japanese subtitles are also quite bad and really don’t try at all to capture the fun quirkiness of the English dialogue, so that was somewhat of a shame for this particular release at least.
The mechanics of the game are really just more Maximo but a bit better polished up than last time. We’re still very much dealing with a 3D revival of Ghouls & Ghosts, complete with Maximo in his Arthur-like heart-print boxers, but with an overall easier approach to its design than the far more viscous older G&G games had. You still hack and slash to defeat enemies, and you also still have several mini-health bars to your armor pieces instead of you just having one hit per armor piece. This game also has some pretty mean platforming sections, particularly in the first half, that really require you to get comfortable with how you have two jumps all the time (even after falling off of a ledge) to actually reach your far-flung destinations.
Overall, I’d say it’s all just better put together than the first Maximo was though. Being able to actually control the camera with the right stick this time is a very big reason for that, but it also felt that enemies hit a bit less hard and checkpoints are just a bit more generous than they were in the last game. Getting rid of the hub worlds in favor of just one big world map as well making it so you can effectively never lose your throwable shield were also very significant improvements towards making the game more fun as well as less needlessly punishing. Bosses are still no slouch, mind you, with the final boss in particular being an absolute monster, and 100%-ing stages is something only for the truly brave of heart. There’s also the fact that while yes, you get a lot of money from rescuing villagers and such in stages, but those prizes can only be gotten once a save file, so while you can buy power ups and money with in-game gold you collect at merchants, grinding for money is certainly not made easy. That said, I’d still nevertheless say that this is at least a little easier and better polished than the first Maximo even if the difficulty is still likely going to be quite a turn off for some.
Aesthetically, this is, again, an enhancement on the first Maximo. The art style is still very much a continuation of that game’s, so if you liked that game’s art, you’re gonna like this one’s too. The music is also quite good, with some of the boss fight themes in particular being great. I’m not gonna say it’s one of the best looking games on the PS2, but it’s still quite a good looking game nonetheless, and very much what you’d expect from a big publisher like Capcom in the system’s midlife era.
Verdict: Recommended. This is honestly kind of a difficult game to recommend despite the verdict, but I still think it’s a good game worth playing either way. This is absolutely not a game to tread lightly with if you aren’t quite comfortable with 3D platformer action games, but if that’s your jam and you’re not afraid of something a bit more unforgiving, then this is totally a game worth checking out. It’s not going to change your life, sure, but I think it’ll still make for a fun weekend for you like it did for me either way~.
Maximo Vs. Army of Zin is really exactly what it says on the tin in regards to the narrative. Some time after the events of the first Maximo, our titular hero is still traveling around with his good friend Grim the grim reaper trying to find his lost lady love Queen Sophia (dead or alive) after the events of the last game. However, he stumbles into an entirely new conflict, as the nefarious, immortal soul-powered machines called Zin have mysteriously and suddenly returned despite having been sealed underground centuries ago. It’s up to Maximo and Grim to once again don their sword, shield, armor, and heart-print boxers to get out there and save the world from this evil threat!
As far as PS2 action game narratives go, it’s nothing really special, but it’s got a lot of character to it, and it makes for very fun set dressing for our larger adventure. It’s overall a bit better done than the first game’s story, having a slightly stronger cast of characters to help it in that regard, and the English VA (for which there is actually no Japanese dub at all) also goes a long way in bringing the story to life too (which makes it even funnier that the dub can't seem to decide if Zin is pronounced with a 'z' sound or a 'j' sound x3). Interestingly, just as there’s no Japanese dub (which is understandable, as a TON of Capcom games from this era have that same quality to them), the Japanese subtitles are also quite bad and really don’t try at all to capture the fun quirkiness of the English dialogue, so that was somewhat of a shame for this particular release at least.
The mechanics of the game are really just more Maximo but a bit better polished up than last time. We’re still very much dealing with a 3D revival of Ghouls & Ghosts, complete with Maximo in his Arthur-like heart-print boxers, but with an overall easier approach to its design than the far more viscous older G&G games had. You still hack and slash to defeat enemies, and you also still have several mini-health bars to your armor pieces instead of you just having one hit per armor piece. This game also has some pretty mean platforming sections, particularly in the first half, that really require you to get comfortable with how you have two jumps all the time (even after falling off of a ledge) to actually reach your far-flung destinations.
Overall, I’d say it’s all just better put together than the first Maximo was though. Being able to actually control the camera with the right stick this time is a very big reason for that, but it also felt that enemies hit a bit less hard and checkpoints are just a bit more generous than they were in the last game. Getting rid of the hub worlds in favor of just one big world map as well making it so you can effectively never lose your throwable shield were also very significant improvements towards making the game more fun as well as less needlessly punishing. Bosses are still no slouch, mind you, with the final boss in particular being an absolute monster, and 100%-ing stages is something only for the truly brave of heart. There’s also the fact that while yes, you get a lot of money from rescuing villagers and such in stages, but those prizes can only be gotten once a save file, so while you can buy power ups and money with in-game gold you collect at merchants, grinding for money is certainly not made easy. That said, I’d still nevertheless say that this is at least a little easier and better polished than the first Maximo even if the difficulty is still likely going to be quite a turn off for some.
Aesthetically, this is, again, an enhancement on the first Maximo. The art style is still very much a continuation of that game’s, so if you liked that game’s art, you’re gonna like this one’s too. The music is also quite good, with some of the boss fight themes in particular being great. I’m not gonna say it’s one of the best looking games on the PS2, but it’s still quite a good looking game nonetheless, and very much what you’d expect from a big publisher like Capcom in the system’s midlife era.
Verdict: Recommended. This is honestly kind of a difficult game to recommend despite the verdict, but I still think it’s a good game worth playing either way. This is absolutely not a game to tread lightly with if you aren’t quite comfortable with 3D platformer action games, but if that’s your jam and you’re not afraid of something a bit more unforgiving, then this is totally a game worth checking out. It’s not going to change your life, sure, but I think it’ll still make for a fun weekend for you like it did for me either way~.