Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

"Maximo: Ghosts to Glory (also known as just simply Maximo in Japan and Europe) is a 3D hack and slash platform game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. Maximo is an attempt to merge Ghosts 'n Goblins universe with illustrator Susumu Matsushita manga artwork.

Maximo takes place in a dynamic, fully 3D world. The 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, everytime he loses all his lives, the required cost for a continue increases.

The game is split in 5 major worlds: The Boneyard, The Great Dank, Graveyard of Ships, Realm of Spirit and Castle Maximo. Each world has four stages to beat and a boss battle. In a world, the player enter on a first mandatory stage and then moves to a portal stage with entrances for other stages in that world. Those portal stages offers options to save, travel to other worlds and buy health and food. Some enemies also appear in portal stages.

The game also has small references to Ghouls n' Ghosts gameplay elements, such as the ability to crush graves and the hero being attacked by spells turning into animals. IGN ranked Maximo at #6 of Top 10 hardest games of PlayStation 2."

Source: Wikipedia, "Maximo: Ghosts To Glory," available under the CC-BY-SA License.