Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

Maximo takes place in a dynamic, fully 3D world. The titular character is controlled by the player and can move freely within areas by running, jumping, crouching, and performing other various motions. Gameplay revolves around defeating large numbers of enemies, which can be accomplished by attacking with a sword and shield, and combos and special moves. Like in the Ghosts series, Maximo fights wearing armor.

If he is hit, he will lose corresponding pieces of armor and eventually be reduced to wearing his boxer shorts, with another hit resulting in him losing a life. If Maximo loses all his lives, he can continue by giving Death Coins to the Grim Reaper. However, every time he loses all his lives, the required cost for a continue increases. The game features other elements that reference the Ghosts series, such as the ability to crush graves and Maximo turning into an animal after being hit by a spell.

Maximo, a brave king, returns to his castle from the far off war to find his kingdom is falling with the sorceresses being imprisoned throughout. Worst of yet was that his once trusted advisor Achille has forced Queen Sophia to marry him. He attempts to rescue her from his clutches who has awoken the power of the underworld. However Achille proves too powerful and strikes down Maximo with one blast of his black magic, killing him.

Now floating in the underworld, Maximo is approached by a Grim Reaper who reveals that Achille is drilling into the underworld to harvest souls, fueling his undead army. Feeling that he would be out of the job if there are no more dead, the Grim Reaper makes a deal with Maximo to bring him back to life in exchange for stopping Achille's evil plans; sending him back to the earth in the process where his journey begins.

Maximo is an attempt to merge the Ghosts 'n Goblins universe with illustrator Susumu Matsushita's manga artwork. The title was originally planned for Nintendo 64 but was delayed for several years and transferred to PlayStation 2.

The concept was created by Capcom Digital Studio head David Siller (creator of Crash Bandicoot and Aero the Acro-Bat) who wanted to bring back "old school" gameplay. The artistic team placed special emphasis on the design and rendering of the characters, as well as putting a great deal of work into the environmental effects. Siller also drew the level designs on paper in pencil and pen. The game's music, which varies from stage to stage, includes orchestrated remixes of the tracks found in Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Ghosts 'n Goblins, arranged by artists from Tommy Tallarico Studios.

The game received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40.

The game achieved PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits status in the United States, selling more than 400,000 units in North America. IGN ranked Maximo at #6 on its list of the Top 10 Most Challenging PS2 Games of All Time, saying it was "a real test for true-blooded action-seekers." Complex's Rich Knight named Maximo the 43rd best PlayStation 2 game, believing it successfully captured the spirit of Ghosts 'n Goblins.