Maximo

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/390px-Maximo Art.JPG

A Capcom action/adventure game with platforming and hack 'n slash elements.

The original game (subtitled Ghosts to Glory Stateside) begins with Maximo, a handsome and valiant knight returning home from war. He soon discovers that his beloved kingdom is in utter shambles, as his advisor, Achille, took over the kingdom while Maximo was away and forced Maximo's betrothed (Sophia) to marry him. Achille also got his hands on some very dangerous black magic and is now having a Giant Drill bore its way into the earth, causing some ill effects on the underworld--the souls of the dead are rising from the grave as either skeleton warriors or being absorbed by Collector Statues to be transferred to Achille.

Maximo, rightfully angry at Achille, tries to attack him, only to be killed by a devastating magickal bolt, sending him falling through Limbo. However, the local Grim Reaper appears before him with a deal--Grim will not claim Maximo's soul if he agrees to goes back to the living world and stop Achille's wicked goals. And so, with his trusty sword, armor and shield, Maximo will fight through a horde of undead to take back his kingdom...and Sophia.

This series is inspired by the infamous Ghosts N Goblins series.

This game provides examples of:

 * One Up: Hearts.
 * A Form You Are Comfortable With:.
 * Animesque: Programmed by western developers, character design drawn by veteran Japanese airbrush artist Susumu Matsushita.
 * Baleful Polymorph: In Ghosts to Glory sometimes a wizard enemy will pop out of a chest and shoot magic bolts as Maximo. If Maximo is hit he'll either be transformed into a baby or an old man, unable to do anything until it wears off.
 * Big Bad: Evil King Achille.
 * Chest Monster: Wizards and Mimics. Wizards invoke a Baleful Polymorph on you, Mimics just try to eat you.
 * Clothing Damage: Well, armor damage as Maximo loses health, to the point where he's running around in his undies.
 * Continuing Is Painful
 * Dem Bones: Most of the undead enemies you fight.
 * Development Hell: The first game spent forever in design, to the point that when Medievil came out, they were forced to scrap several levels. Medievil was a Playstation One game.
 * Die Chair Die / Rewarding Vandalism
 * Flaming Sword: The Flametongue enchantment.
 * Game Over Man: If you run out of continues, you still see the Grim Reaper. Unfortunately, instead of bringing you back to life like he does when you've got a Coin, he slashes you with his scythe while cackling maniacally... Cue Fade to White.
 * Goofy Print Underwear: By default, Maximo has heart-printed boxers (which you will see when his armor is destroyed), but he can buy other kinds of boxers, like cow-print or monogram.
 * In the second game, different boxers give him different powers.
 * The Grim Reaper: Grim, who sends Maximo on his quest because, well, Grim is out of job if there's no more dead for him to handle. He helps you more directly in the sequel.
 * Guide Dang It: Pick a boss...
 * Idle Animation: Maximo has several wait animations--and some are world-specific (he'll shiver in ice levels and wipe his brow in lava levels).
 * Incredible Shrinking Man: The boss fight against Bokor Labas, a witch doctor who carries a voodoo doll of Maximo, and casts a spell to shrink Maximo and then the boss tries to stomp on him.
 * Interchangeable Antimatter Keys
 * Inexplicable Treasure Chests
 * Lethal Lava Land: The Realm of Spirits.
 * The Lost Woods: The Great Dank, which is also sort of a swamp.
 * Magic Knight: Maximo when his sword is enchanted with an element (Fire/Ice/Holy/Arcane) and he can pick up abilities to allow him to shoot Magick Bolts or area attacks (like a meteor storm).
 * Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Saving available at save points, 100 Koins a pop.
 * Nintendo Hard: Considering its predecessor games, it only makes sense.
 * One Winged Angel: Subversion.
 * Power Up Magnet
 * Screwed By the Network: The team that made this game worked on Final Fight Streetwise afterwards (and then Capcom Japan had them Rastafy it by 10%), and the dev team was scuttled after that game failed spectacularly, killing all hopes of a third game.
 * Slippy Slidey Ice World: The Frozen Wastes.
 * Spin Attack
 * Spiritual Successor: To Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
 * The Undead: Most of your enemies are zombies and skeletons animated by Achille.
 * Versus Title