This FAQ started out as simply a Japanese FAQ - to help w/ translations and whatnot.
However, it seems that most things are identical between the Japanese and English
versions of the game. This guide is still based on the Japanese version first and
foremost - and therefore there is a possibility that things will differ.
I have retained the Japanese translations and therefore some powerup titles may be
different. They all do the same thing, so it shouldn't really matter.
For people still playing the Japanese version, knowing Katakana (a Japanese alphabet
that can essentially spell things out in English) will help you out if you can't read
Japanese, as many minor things can be figured out rather easily. Things like Save Game
are clearly written out. Maybe take 5 minutes to check out/print the following chart.
I couldn't imagine playing ANY Japanese game without knowing Some! :)
http://www.nakaone.com/katakana.html
Good luck playing...it's such a fun game, it hearkens back to playing Ghosts & Goblins
in the arcades with bad cabinets and broken sticks. Such a great game! Feel free to
drop me a line with any questions, I'll do my best.
Version 2.0
Small enemy updates, info about Mastery Level, brought up to date w/ US release.
The most current version of this FAQ can always be found at the following address:
http://www.godflesh.com/slate/faqs/maximo.txt
General Commands:
----------------
X Jump
*X, X Double Jump
*X, X, T After a double jump, tap triangle to stab the ground.
This is how you pass checkpoints.
Square Horizontal attack
Do a 360 on the analog pad + square and you'll do a 360 spin attack.
Good if surrounded.
This is also the main YES button in the game as well, use this to
navigate through menus etc.
Triangle Vertical Attack (downward stab after double jump)
Circle Toss shield (if you have the pickup, see below)
R1 Free view, use the analog controller to look around.
R2 Block using shield...obviously you need a shield first.
L1 Reset camera. Use this to move the camera behind you.
L2 Crouch
Select Shows you your powerups, some details about them and the button presses.
Start Pauses the game. 1st option, continue game. 2nd option, quit game.
If you choose to quit, the left option is Yes, the right is No.
=======================================
A: GENERAL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
=======================================
Note:
---- This section is mainly for the Japanese version and for players who can't read
or speak Japanese. It may still prove useful, so skim through if you're
playing the US version.
Getting Started - How do I start?
--------------------------------
From the title screen, hit square and then start.
You'll be presented w/ Maximo in front of some tombstones. The first choice you have
is New Game. Choose this.
After you've played a while and saved (see below), you'll chose other options. Press
right to scroll through your saved games. If you named your saved game, you'll see this
name. Choose this to load.
If you have beaten the first level, you'll have another option to the left. This is to
watch the movies.
How do I save?
-------------
You will have to beat the first level first.
Then, you will appear in a central area. This is the the central level select area.
There are 4 different areas here where you can choose your levels.
Walk around until you come across a pool of water (not the stream). There is a set of
stairs you can go up with a triangle on the ground. Stand on this ledge and hit the
square button. This will cost you 100 gems by the way!
You will get a menu w/ some Japanese words. Press RIGHT and a big memory card will
appear in the water. Hit square to save. You'll be asked to write a name in.
If you choose the first option, you won't save and you won't lose 100 coins.
In later levels, you can return to prior levels by using these pools. Doing so
does cost 100 coins.
How do I pass checkpoints?
-------------------------
Use the downward stab on top of the checkpoint. It's easy to miss this. Double jump
(x, x) then hit triangle to stab the ground. Hit the checkpoint and you'll get the
checkpoint.
You'll know that you did it correctly b/c a sword will stay in the ground as you
continue on.
How do I continue?
-----------------
You will need red coins to continue, but these seem to be hard to come by. By smashing
tombstones that have lights floating around them, you will release fairy looking creatures.
Pick up 50 of these and you will then get a red coin, which will give you a continue.
Once you hit 50, you will need to then find another tombstone. Smash that and a red coin
will appear.
A *very* useful tip...do a downward stab on the tombstone and you'll release more souls.
Hit it normally and you'll get 2 souls, but do a downward stab and you'll get 5! You
*could* stab it, get 2 and then do the downward stab and get 3 more, but that just takes
up time.
On each level these are different. The first stage are just plain tombstones. The second
they're some odd looking ghoulish lamps. The third they're snowmen. Etc...
As the levels progress (or you continue), it'll cost more to continue. Eventually you'll
require 3 or 4 red coins in order to continue.
What are the energy bars in the upper left hand corner?
------------------------------------------------------
There are several energy levels in the upper left hand corner. They are as follows:
You have a big green circle. This will change color when you have a sword power up.
When you do have a sword powered up, there should be a series of smaller circles outlining
the big red one. When these run out, you lose that powerup.
To the right of that you have 2 different sets of bars.
The top is broken up into 3 green bars. These are your health bars.
Say you have 2 full bars...if your 2nd bar of energy drops, you'll lose that set of armor.
Obviously, lose it all and you die.
If you have the Hammer & Anvil powerup and 3 bars of energy, then get another armor, you
won't get the gold armor (which runs out of time after a few seconds). Instead, you'll get
a permanent 4th bar of energy.
The final meter is a series of blue dots underneath the main green ones showing your health.
This displays your shield power. If you keep using it to block attacks or throwing it,
it'll slowly weaken and you'll eventually lose it.
What do I do after I beat the game?
----------------------------------
There is a bonus if you achieve 100% on every level. Please see section G for all those
details.
Ok - It looks like the biggest thing that needs describing is all the multiple levels of
powerups. Between your sword, shield, and all those little round icons you see at the
bottom of your screen - this game is pretty big. I'll try to document them all here.
------------
Item Pickups-
------------
Here's some descriptions about the general items you can pickup around the levels.
Red Heart--
Red Hearts give you an extra life. Quite nice.
Coins--
These are necessary to save (will cost you 100 on the first level), and it will also
allow you to purchase items from the spinning globes. These contraptions have an item
inside and when you walk up to them, they will give you some Japanese text w/ a number
that you should recognize (50, 100, 150...) If you have enough coins, the globe will
stop spinning and you can press square to purchase the item.
Coin Bags--
Simply bags filled with coins. These are worth 5 coins.
Diamonds--
These are worth 10 coins. Watch out for birds who steal these from you!
Red Keys--
Red keys attach to your belt and are used to open every door other than a major gate.
This includes silver chests, and some gates.
Gold Keys--
These are the special keys that you will need to pass to the next portion of a level.
Green Potion--
This will restore some of your life. Note that if you are in boxers for instance and
your life is almost maxed, you will not get a 2nd life bar.
Red Potion--
I think this gives you full life in the bar you're using. Remember, you have several
levels of health, this will only max out your current energy bar.
Shield Powerup--
You'll find a black shield w/ yellow circles on it. This will add 5 points to your
shield power level.
---------------
Items in Globes-
---------------
There are several different 'globes' around the world where you need to spend gold to get
the items inside. Approach these and some Japanese text will appear on screen w/ a number.
The number is how much it costs to purchase what's inside. If you have enough gold, the
globe will stop spinning. If not, it won't.
Here's some details on these:
Cheese--
On the first level there is a globe to the left that costs 500. You won't have enough
money for this until after you play a few levels, so you'll have to go back for it.
You will rub the cheese on your feet after purchasing it and this will allow you to walk
on the grave areas (the ones where the hands come out of the ground) and not get hit. I
don't know if it helps in any other way, but it seems a little much (500!) just to do
this. Perhaps it helps on later levels as well?
Striped Sword--
This is a yellow sword and costs about 150. This elongates your sword and is the
equivalent of the Great Sword powerup (listed below under Attack Powerups)
Striped Shield--
This will add 5 points to your shield power level.
Boxers--
These seem to be just for show, there's several different types of boxers you can get.
You'll start out w/ the boxers w/ the hearts on them, but can 'upgrade' to white boxers
w/ a blue M, dark blue boxers, POW, or even a cow pattern. Again, they seem to be just
for style.
Question Marks--
These are chance items. I've gotten garbage from these, so be careful!
Other typical pickups:
Green Potion
Red Potion
Armor
There are several armor pickups that will help protect Maximo. Atop the screen there
are several levels of health (the green bars). Each section represents your current energy
level w/ that armor. The blue energy levels below that are for your shield.
If you have one level of energy and get another armor suit, you'll hop to the next energy
level.
The different levels are:
Armor--
A general shoulder pad type armor. Very useful
Helmet & Armor--
The highest protection generally. This will give you 3 bars of life and a helmet for
added protection. Get the hammer & anvil attack powerup for a 4th bar of life!
Gold Armor--
This only lasts for a short time (watch the counter) and your energy bars will glow
gold. Ultimate Protection!
Shield--
There are 3 shields in the game. The regular you begin with (or revert to if you lose
it), and there are 2 others you can puchase. The 2nd has flowers on it and the 3rd is
a golden shield.
You start with 2 levels of shield blocking power, but with each power up, get another.
Having 4 levels of power is useful, especially when you toss your shield or block
multiple attacks.
Press the R2 to block attacks, but make certain you're facing them. You can still get
hit if you're not blocking in the right direction. You will lose one point in your
shield power bar each time your shield gets hit. Additionally, if you have the Shield
Shot powerup (read below) you will lose one point of energy every time you throw your
shield and have it hit an enemy.
Note that you can have a shield and no armor, or armor with no shield.
Boxers--
Plain boxers, no armor at all. Lose all your energy here and you're dead.
There are different types of boxers around as well. There's several different styles,
but they do not assist you, they're just visual.
---------------
Sword Powerups-
---------------
You can power up your sword in the game, each of which gives different effects.
Flame Tongue--
Very common during the first world. This is a more powerful sword that looks fantastic!
Highly useful on the 3rd (ice) world.
Pure Blade--
This makes your sword glow gold, and kills most of the normal enemies with one attack.
Very powerful.
Frostbiter--
You get this on level 3. It turns the enemies to ice! It's almost annoying sometimes,
as it freezes virtually everything. You'll need to do a vertical attack (triangle)
which will smash the ice and kill anyone while frozen. Otherwise, they'll just keep
coming back to life.
Armageddon--
Level 4 gives you this sword. It glows purple and is the most powerful sword you can
get.
---------------
Attack Powerups-
---------------
There are a number of items that you can pick up randomly which power up your character.
Since virtually everything is in Japanese, if you don't know your Katakana (shame!), then
it may be difficult understanding which is which. You can press select to see which you have.
You can save 4 of these when you die (more as you progress through the game). Press select
to bring up the menu w/ the descriptions. Then, by hitting square, you can rearrange which
you want in the first slots. If you were to die, you'd lose all but the first 4 (the ones
w/ green text on the bottom of the screen - again, you can save more as you progress).
Make sure you rearrange these so that you keep the ones you find most useful - so that if
you die, you don't lose it. Things like the Sword Stab are useful throughout the game,
and might be one powerup you should decide to keep.
These are coded by color, which makes things easier.
Green Powerups General Attack
Red Powerups Sword powerup
Blue Powerups Shield powerup
Yellow Powerups Armor powerup
Here's a rundown of most of the powerups.
Green - General Attack Powerups-
--------------------------------
Double Attack:
** Green circle - With two arrows curving from the bottom to the top.
Hit the square button 2x to do a double attack. You'll use this often w/out realizing.
Sword Stab (Kuriteikare?)
** Green Circle - With a circle inside.
Press up and triangle for a forward thrust. Excellent against the guards w/ long axes.
Wide Spinning Attack (Wairudo Subiningu Ataku)(Kuirudo?)
** Green Circle - With two arrows, one facing up, another down, like a Yin Yang.
Do a spinning attack (360 on the analog pad + square). You will do 2 spins instead of
1 and the second is a wider attack than the first. Very helpful!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Red - Sword Powerups-
--------------------
Magic Shot (Majiku Shyoto)
** Red Circle - With a hand looking fireball type image.
Double tap the triangle button (have to have a powered up sword first) to toss a fireball
(or iceball or whatever kind of sword you have). Watch your meter, this will run out.
Doom Strike (Duumo Sutoraiku)
** Red Circle - With skull face
You will need a powered up sword to use this. With each sword you will get a different
result. With the fire sword it will make a red ring will appear around Maximo, while the
Pure Blade will make bombs will fly off of the character. This will run out though, so
look at the circle in the upper lefthand corner to see the level.
Great Sword (Gureeto Soodo)
** Red Circle - With a sword and a ^ on top.
This elongates your sword.
Wide Shock Wave (Waido Shyokku Ueibu)
** Red Circle with a bull's eye type layout. 3 circles inside.
This makes your downward stab's range larger when you double jump and hit triangle.
??? (Shiihuai)
** Red Circle w/ lines along the outside. Almost like an asterisk *.
This gives you a green circle outside of a downward stab (double jump, triangle). If the
green circle hits any secrets, like a hidden chest, it'll reveal them.
Shock Wave Attack (Shoku Waibu Ataku)
** 2 Red pentagons (6 sides).
Do a downward stab and knives will come out of the ground surrounding you.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Blue - Shield Powerups-
----------------------
Shield Shot (Shiredo Shyoto)
** Blue Circle - With a curved arrow, making an upside down U.
Press the circle button to toss your shield. Good against the ghosts, but watch your
shield meter, it will eventually break.
**NOTE:
The Shield Shot will change depending on whether you have other power ups as well. See
the 3 listed below.
Snatch Shield (Sunachi Shirudo)
** Blue Circle - Pinwheel image
With this you can hold R2 to put up your shield and it will act as a magnet and pull all
items (coins, keys - but not potions) to you. If you have the Shield Shot, you can throw
the shield and have it pick up items as it flies back!
Storm Shield (Sutoomu Shirudo)
** Blue Circle - No clue how to describe this - a 7 and backwards 7 w/ a circle on top?
Hit R2 and you'll shoot out a small mist of ice.
Lightning Attack (Raitoningu Ataku)***
** Blue Circle - Lightning image
Block an attack from any enemy and they'll get hit! Highly useful when you're surrounded.
Note: You can only hold one of the prior 3 shield powerups.
By getting one you'll lose the other.
Special Shot? (Suubaashiiru Shyoto)
** Blue Circle - 3 ^s on top of each other.
This will let you throw your shield further.
Hovering Shield (Hobaringu Shiredo)***
** Blue Circle - Angelic wings
Press circle to toss your shield (you'll need the Shield Shot first naturally) and hold
the circle button down to make it hover. Useful to grab coins from a distance.
Super Shield Shot (Suupaa Shiredo Shyoto)
** Blue Circle - With 3 ^ icons stacked on top of each other.
Don't know what this one does either. I think you need the Shield Shot first.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Yellow - Armor Powerups-
-----------------------
??? (Burote Kushyon)
** Yellow Circle - Hammer & Anvil
This will give you a 4th bar of energy without having the gold armor. You will need to
get an armor pickup while already having 3 bars of energy. Instead of getting the gold
armor (which only lasts a short while) you'll get a permanent 4th power meter. It's
only permanent until you lose that energy bar of course.
???
** Yellow Circle - Mask face
The mask will only take effect if you already have the Hammer & Anvil power up above,
and 4 full bars of health. Once you get that, the mask will float up, and attach itself
to your face. You will now turn into a skeleton demon type guy, w/ 4 max energy bars and
you're invincible. Just run through your enemies (like a Mario star). This only lasts
for a short while.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Kisses-
------
At the end of each stage you have an option from the princess that you save, to either
save your game or get a kiss from her. If you choose the kiss option, it doesn't help you
at all in fighting, but if you can collect all 4 kisses (and beat the game retaining them)
you'll unlock an art gallery from the main menu.
IMO, the storyline in Maximo isn't really an overly exciting reason to play the game. Man
goes off to save the day and in the process, he saves some hot princesses who give him a kiss
for his effort. Not quite the most intriguing storyline, but it works. There are several
characters in the game.
Major Characters
----------------
Maximo This is you - King Maximo.
Grim Reaper Saves you from death and allows you to embark on this journey.
Queen Sophia Your queen, the woman who you're after to save from Evil King Achille!
Evil King Achille Upon returning from war, he's taken over your castle and stolen your
chick.
Sorceresses - Each stage has one that you must save. Collect their kisses!
-----------
Lenore The Graveyard Sorceress Level 1
Mamba Marie The Swamp Sorceress Level 2
Aurora Lee The Ice Sorceress Level 3
Sephonie The Underworld Princess Level 4
Note - Collect all 4 kisses and retain them when you beat the game and you'll unlock an
Art Gallery from the main menu.
The story behind Maximo is as follows: (from Capcom's site)
Can't a noble knight go away to war without having all heck breakloose back home? Not
this time. You control the fate of the gallant Maximo, who returns home to find his
kingdom in shambles. Your once trusted advisor, Achille has wrought evil on the land.
Not only is the countryside filled with hoards of the roaming undead, but the four wise
Sorceresses have been imprisoned at the four corners of the Kingdom, and to make matters
worse, your girlfriend, Princess Sophia has been forced to marry the scoundrel Achille.
Talk about your bad days! Help Maximo rescue the Sorceresses, restore good to the kingdom,
whup Achille's butt, and while you're at it...get your girl back!
Again, this isn't going to be a full fledged FAQ here - so I'm just going to toss in some
little things that might assist you in the journey.
Level 1: The Boneyard
Level 2: The Great Dank
Level 3: Graveyard of Ships
Level 4: Realm of Spirits
Level 5: Castle Maximo
These are going to be basic, nothing major. I'll try to list some of the secret areas
particularly as well as any difficult portions.
-------
Level 1: The Boneyard
---------------------
The first stage in the game is perfect for beginners. It also is *very* reminiscent of
the classic Ghosts & Goblins first stage. It eases you into the controls, has some hidden
areas and introduces the gamer to the cast of enemies you'll face.
The first stage you begin at has a small secret area. At one point during the level
you'll find a gate on the right portion of the level that you cannot enter. Just beyond
this game is an incline which leads you back towards the beginning of the level and up to
a higher level. You'll go into a tunnel with a casket on it. You can smash the casket
forever and it won't break. You have to jump on top of it, then do a downward thrust
(double jump -> Triangle). This will drop you down and you'll be on the other side of
that gate you couldn't open.
The Main Area:
-------------
After successfully beating the first stage you are dumped out into the level select. The
area here is a large circle. There are 5 different portals here, plus the pool of water
and at the center is where the boss lies. I suggest saving after you beat the first stage
and enter this level select area. Head towards the pool of water and follow the instructions
in section A if you don't know how to save.
Then, go to each warp zone, smash the monolith and warp to the appropriate level. Beat all
of these levels and the gate to the boss will lower. Hop on and fight the first boss!
Ghastly Gus - The Gravedigger
-----------------------------
1st Level Boss-
This is the Frankenstein looking guy you see on many of the windows around the level. At
first he seems invulnerable, but he has a weak spot. If you pay attention, you'll notice
that there's a hole in his shoes, exposing his big toes. Kinda nasty...
Avoid his attacks and run up to him, and do a downward stab on his feet. He'll hop on one
foot in pain. Downward stab the other foot and he'll fall on his bum. Then go up to him and
hit him with your sword. It'll only take 4-5 attacks to get him. Just make sure to avoid all
of his attacks and you shouldn't have a problem.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
-------
Level 2: The Great Dank
-----------------------
This level is a generic swamp, pretty nasty too. You'll find many familiar foes, including
my favorite, the Zombie covered in Pirahnas! Watch out, if you get too close he'll shake
off the aquatic beasts and you'll get hit!
There's 3 different types of water on this stage, the green yet clear water which you can
wade through. There's also dark green muck which will kill you if you enter. Just watch
out for that. Finally, there is a type of quicksand you'll find on a level or two. This
is difficult b/c you can't jump. Find some area to walk up, but if you keep jumping, you
might get swallowed up by the quicksand.
There's also many jumping areas in the Great Dank...definitely reminds me of 2D classics.
Bokor Labas - The Witch Doctor
------------------------------
2nd Level Boss-
This voodoo guy follows a very basic pattern.
1- He'll turn you small...run along the outside of the stage (w/ the yellowish floor).
Just avoid from getting stepped on. He'll eventually step on something that makes him hop
on one foot.
2- He'll split into 3 (then 4) different guys. Just hit each of them.
3- Then, run as far away as possible. He'll create some little guys and shoot red fireballs
at you. You can block these with your shield, but if you stay far enough away it's just as
easy to jump out of the way.
4- Repeat.
Not very difficult.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
-------
Level 3: Graveyard of Ships
---------------------------
This ice world is exactly what you'd expect. You slide all over the place, can see your
breath when you run around and Maximo will even hold himself and shake. Running around in
bare feet with no armor does not look fun.
The game gets a little difficult here, with a larger assortment of enemies, some of which
do more damage. Be careful of the bombers, as they can cause some major damage. For these
guys, crouch and do a horizontal attack. You'll chop off their feet! Run away though, as
their bombs will detonate shortly after. Also watch out for the dead pirates. The best way
to get by these guys is to jump over them and then watch them get confused. You can hit
them from behind and have them fall on their faces. Then, do a downward stab. If you knock
them on their backs and try a downward stab, the sword hanging out of their chest will hurt
you. Watch out for these guys!
There are also a large number of secret caves on these levels. Pay attention to the walls.
There will be some off colored walls that don't look right. Smash these for hidden areas.
Also be careful of the water as falling in will kill you. It's a cool little animation,
watching Maximo turn to ice, but after you've done it once, try to avoid it. Oddly enough,
you can jump into the pool where you save...that water won't freeze you.
Captain Cadaver - The Pirate
----------------------------
3rd Level Boss -
As with the rest of the bosses, figure out their pattern and weak spot, and it's smooth
sailing from there.
Your goal is to knock his peg leg into one of the grates on the floor. He'll get stuck for
a moment.
Now, crouch (L2) and hit the peg leg. He'll fall back and repeat.
Useful tips: Use your shield. His attacks aren't too bad, so just stand right up against
him and block when he attacks. If you've got the Storm Shield powerup (where the shield
blows mist out the front), it's even easier...Just keep hitting him until he falls into
the grate.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
-------
Level 4: Realm of Spirits
-------------------------
This is a difficult stage. Enemies everywhere, areas to fall to your death and more.
It's definitely got an old school feel to it, with some tricky jumps and timing.
Lord Glutterscum - The Demon
----------------------------
4th Level Boss -
As always, figure out his pattern and you'll be fine. I end up just running in circles.
It seems that you can only hit him when he's spitting fire out. When he does so, run
behind him and hit him in the arse. That's how you kill him.
After, he'll do a jump and when he hits the ground, he'll release a shockwave. Jump over
this. After a few hits, the level will drop down. Just be careful you don't leap into the
lava.
He's got 2 other attacks, his spinning one (you can just jump) and his regurgitating attack.
Kinda nasty, just run around him in a circle and you'll avoid these attacks.
As with the other bosses, just figure out the pattern and he's easy.
A difficult stage, one that you'll need to be fully powered up for. Prior to playing,
make sure you've got all your powerups that you like. By now you can store 6 different
powerups, so ensure that these work the best for you. I would suggest making sure that
you keep the Hammer & Anvil one, as having a 4th power bar (when you can) is highly useful.
The rest are all your preference, but keeping the green (attack) powerups is a good idea.
Finally, the Shiihuai icon is great, as it helps locate the hidden treasure chests, something
you'll likely need while running around almost nekkid w/ no energy and no shield!
The world is laid out differently from the first ones, as it's linear and you will have to
follow the levels as they're presented to you rather than in whichever order you'd prefer.
You'll encounter several large guards standing in front of purple walls of energy. These
guys can be killed easily. Do 2 downward stabs until they're dizzy, then hit the head w/
your sword. Do this twice and they're gone. If you've got the shockwave powerups, you
can probably score 2 hits w/ one attack!
Muscle your way through the levels, knocking down hidden walls in the later levels, and
you'll find yourself at the end of the game.
For some fun, try the following:
*In the Castle Dungeon area - try jumping in front of the first globe for a little surprise.
*Also in the dungeon - run in the piles of straw in the prison cells.
Evil King Achille
-----------------
Final Boss -
While not particularly difficult, Achille can definitely be a pain in the neck to beat.
He's got several attacks, most with a wide range and you'll likely get knocked back a
time or two. However, he's not altogether too hard to beat, especially if you know
where to start. The biggest problem is that he's slightly 'cheap' and can regain his
energy.
Pay attention to his attacks. You'll be evading a lot of the time, and running in when
you can.
Achille will throw fireballs. This is your main chance...as he tosses a fireball, dodge
it and run in to attack him. Once you've hit him a time or two, a large purple face will
start to float around the stage, spitting out small bombs. Avoid all of these of course,
but the main thing to notice is that Achille will produce a large barrier around himself.
It will have an attack icon on it. If it's the green star, you'll need to use your Sword
Stab attack to break the shield, then hit him. There's a few different icons that will
appear. If you do not have this powerup, you will have to wait.
Once you do hit him, he'll probably produce a large purple barrier which will hit you, so
get away quickly.
After several hits, small antennae will appear from the ground and Achille will become a
large hulking beast. Smash all of these transmitters, and quickly, as Achille will regain
his health the longer you wait. Once you've done so, he'll reduce to his normal size and
contine with your attack.
At one point, he stopped his typical attacks, I suppose this is when his energy level
weakens. What I did here was to just run around him in a tight circle, hitting him every
few seconds. He didn't fight back very hard, and I killed him rather quickly.
Sophia - Demon Form
-------------------
What would a game be without more than one ending boss? After a cinematic showing the
long awaited reunion between Maximo and Sophia, she changes into an enormous beast.
Next, you're thrust into a black room, no lights and this huge demon chasing you. Your
only source of light are the lightning streaks every so often, but you can see through the
windows, so check for the silhouette of the demon in front of the windows...and look for
her eyes.
This beast is *very* easy to defeat, and you can probably do it w/out getting hit. All
you need to do is run around, jumping and swinging your sword. Do this constantly: Jump,
Attack, Jump, Attack...Eventually the demon will come up to you and you must hit it in the
face, or probably more specifically, the eye(s). If you keep jumping and attacking, the
demon won't be able to sneak up on you. About 5 swift attacks and the demon will fall,
and Maximo will be victorious.
Most enemies are basic, hit 'em and they die. Here's some tips etc.
Birds-
Birds are a pain...they'll steal your coins. Kill them beforehand or they'll swipe a
diamond. You can get these back if they succeed in stealing from you.
Ghosts-
These steal the souls that you pickup, or at least knock them out of you. Watch out for
these guys! A very easy way to kill them is to toss your shield just when you see them
coming. Watch out for the green ghosts, they'll turn you into a zombie!
Skeletons-
There's like 500 different types of skeletons. If you encounter a skeleton that you
knock down, but who still gets back up, then do a downward thrust when they're down.
You'll get more coins/treasure this way and you won't have to wait for them to get up to
kill them.
Long Axe Helmetman-
This guy has a very long axe and if you don't block properly he'll hit you for big damage.
Do the forward thrust move if you have it just a vertical attack. Hitting them with
horizontal attacks is difficult, but possible. You'll need to hit them with a vertical
attack or downward thrust to kill them.
Dead Pirate-
On the ice stage there's a pirate w/ a sword in his chest. Watch out w/ this guy. You
can knock him down but if he's on his back his sword will stab you when you do the Downward
Stab. Try to get behind him and knock him down on his face.
Ice Zombie-
These are the baddies in level 3 with the harpoon. The only way to defeat them is to use
the overhead (vertical) attack. Downward thrusts will just make them skate away.
Aligators-
These appear on the 2nd level. Use a vertical attack as soon as you see them. The longer
you wait, the less chance you have to get them. Bubbles should appear in front of you
before they attack. If you don't kill them the first time, they'll likely go behind you
for their second attack.
Evil Magicians-
The magicians pop out of treasure chests and throw magic balls at you which will transform
you into an old man or a baby. See the Form Changes section below for more. Do your best
Not to get hit, use your shield to block if you need to. He usually spits 3 magic balls out
in a row, then takes a break. Hit him before he hits you and you'll get an extra life!
Watch your shield meter if you're going to block too.
Bombers-
These pirate guys appear on the 3rd level (the ice world). They're a real pain b/c if you
hit them, they'll blow up and you'll take on damage. If you have the ice sword, hit them to
freeze them and then just leave them alone. They'll blow themselves up. Another way is to
toss your shield if you have the powerup. The easiest way is to crouch and do a horizontal
attack. You'll chop off their legs. Then runaway before their bombs explode.
Abominable Snow Monster-
On the 3rd level, you'll encounter big snow monsters. Hit them with a vertical attack
(triangle) once or twice to kill them. Not very difficult. If they block after the first
hit, wait a second before attacking again, otherwise they'll block and then hit you.
Hammerman-
These pig guys are on level 4 (lava). They are a real pain b/c if they hit the ground w/
their hammer, it leaves a shockwave which will hurt you. I try to avoid them in most cases,
but if you can get behind them, you can hit them. Not from the front though.
Deadwitch-
Lava level exclusive, these witches will grab you and carry you. Mash the buttons and
D-pad to get out of her grasp. A swing or two of your sword will kill her. She can be
a nuisance.
Black Knight-
These only appear on the final level and are always guarding a purple forcefield. Avoid
their attacks of course, then do 2 downward stabs. After the 2nd one, the head will float
there. Hit it, then do 2 more downward stabs, hit the head a 2nd time and he's done for.
Alternately, if you have the wider shockwave and damage shockwave, you can hit them 2x
with one attack!
There are several different forms you can change to. These are all from some enemy that,
when you get hit, you change. In most cases it seems that you need to jump around and,
in true Capcom fashion, mash the buttons to change back.
Baby:
There is a magician who shoots fireballs at you. If you get hit, you'll be turned into
a baby. Hit square or triangle to shake your rattle.
Old Man:
Same as above, a magician will shoot a fireball which changes you into an old man.
Hit square or triangle to do a handstand on your sword! Hit circle and he'll hold
his back and complain!
Zombie:
The Yellow Ghosts will do this to you. Get hit and Maximo didn't change forms, but he
walked around like a zombie for a short while. Your directionals are backwards as well,
left becomes right, up becomes down, etc.
Note that if you hit the magician/wizard before he hits you, you'll get a red heart (extra
life). If he hits you first, then you kill him, you'll only get a coin. Whenever you see
him (or his fireballs coming at you), put up your shield and block. If you get transformed,
you will likely get beat on pretty badly, so do your best to avoid this!
There are no known manual cheats (where you enter button presses to unlock things).
For now, these are the only known cheats/codes.
Unlock Art Gallery
Beat the game w/ 4 kisses to unlock the Art Gallery
You must beat each level, accept the kiss from the woman, and make sure you assign it
to one of the green slots in your powerup menu. They will not help you throughout the
game, but if you lose any of these, you won't receive the Art Gallery.
Unlock Mastery Mode
For this you will need to 100% every stage on every level. In return you will receive
the Mastery Level. The Mastery level is the opening stage from the game, but you must
play it backwards - from the end to the beginning. Item and enemy placement has changed
and you'll notice that there's a LOT more enemies this time around. Good luck!
In order to 100% every stage you will need to do the following:
You need to collect every treasure (placed in the level), kill every enemy, uncover and
open every hidden chest, open every door (locked and unlocked) and completely break
every spirit container. You don't have to collect all the spirits or money/health/abilities
that falls from enemies. You must kill all enemies though, and if one falls in lava or off
a cliff, it will NOT count toward mastery. However, if you re-enter a level that you have
cleared, you only need to do the things that you missed. So the % for each world can only be
increased if you re-enter a level. Once that has been accomplished, the extra tombstone
will rise on the title screen.
Most help came from the GameFAQs message board, especially the following:
Grinch
Helped w/ all sorts of details from boxers to the kisses. Thanks a lot!
NoirSith
Lots of info about the enemies was posted by him. Many thanks.
Reggie Schreiber
Filled in many blanks and offered very useful tips! Gracias!
Capcom has done a *fine* job w/ this game. There really ought to be more like it!
Capcom's official site address for Maximo is:
http://www.capcom.com/maximo/
Legal Stuff--
-----------
This FAQ is copyright (c) 2001-2002, Trevor Proudfoot (aka slateman - slateman@godflesh.com)
Maximo is copyright (c) 2001-2002, Capcom, Capcom Digital Studios, Capcom Japan
Maximo is trademark of Capcom Co., Ltd.
You may not distribute this for profit. You may not edit or alter the contents herein
without the permission of the author.
You May however post this FAQ elsewhere, as long as credit is given and *very important*,
you always post the newest version of the FAQ. I really don't want email from people
asking questions that are answered on later versions of the FAQ. Please email me with
info as to where you'd like to post it, and I'll get back saying yes.
The most current version of this FAQ can always be found at the following address:
http://www.godflesh.com/slate/faqs/maximo.txt
Hope the FAQ was useful in some form.
Good luck and have fun!
Oh, and visit:
Planet Tony Hawk:
http://www.PlanetTonyHawk.com/
Crumbling Flesh: The official Godflesh fan pages
http://www.godflesh.com/
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