Maximo: Ghosts to Glory Ability FAQ
Version 1.11 5/20/04
Written by Thunderbird

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This FAQ is copyright (c) 2002 by Sean Taylor

This FAQ is merely intended to assist you, the reader, with the
abilities for Maximo: Ghosts to Glory for the Playstation 2 Computer
Entertainment System. You may not post it elsewhere without first
asking for permission. You may not modify this FAQ and then post it as
your original work. You may not use this FAQ for money making purposes
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is posted on your site (with permission), it may not be placed in an
area that requires a special membership (paid or otherwise) to access.
If you would like to ask permission to post this FAQ on your site,
please email me at [email protected] and I'll probably
allow you to do so, provided that the above conditions are met.
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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Version Information
3. The Ability System
4. Basic Abilities
5. Enchantment Abilities
5.1. Sword Attack Abilities
5.2. Shield Abilities
5.3. Magical Sword Abilities
5.4. Armor Abilities
6. Special Abilities
7. Conclusion

1. Introduction

If you are wondering how the heck the abilities work in Maximo: Ghosts
to Glory, you've come to the right place. In this FAQ I will try to
explain all of Maximo's abilities and how the ability system works.

2. Version Information

1.0 Written 11/21/03
Initial version of the guide.

1.1 Written 11/25/03
Added some notes on some abilities, and organized them into their
categories. Small changes made throughout.

1.11 Written 5/20/04
Changed the email in the Copyright Info.

3. The Ability System

Maximo starts the game with just his Basic Abilites. Some enemies may
drop ability enchantments, which grant Maximo more power. Some
enchantment powerups are also free-floating in some levels. At the
start of the game, Maximo has 3 lock spots in his ability bar. If he
dies, any ability outside of these lockspots will be lost, and must be
recollected (some can't be). However, each time Maximo frees a
Sorceress, he will gain another lockspot with which he can lock another
ability.

4. Basic Abilities

These are what Maximo starts the game with, and don't require any
enchantments to use. Most of these are also detailed in the manual for
the game.

Basic sword strike
Press the square button to have Maximo swing his sword at enemies. Most
enemies will be defeated this way.

Overhead strike
Press the triangle button to have Maximo do an overhead strike. If he
is moving forward, he will stop to execute the strike. This strike does
double the damage of a normal sword swipe, except against bosses.

Double jump
Maximo can jump twice by pressing the X button twice. His second jump
can be executed at any time. This can be used to reach higher areas, or
to cross large pits.

Maximum Armor
Maximo can have a maximum of 3 armor units, normally. If he picks up a
4th, his 3rd armor bar is refilled, and he becomes invincible for 20
seconds. After this time has expired, he will revert to his normal
state.
Note: The Increased Armor ability changes the maximum to 4.

5. Enchantment Abilities

The Enchantment Abilities are split into 4 groups by the game, each
having its own color. Also, each group has a standard drop icon which
is surrounded by the symbol of the ability type, exceptions will be
noted where they occur.

If you cannot use a particular ability, its icon will be shown with a
shade of grey on it. Doomstrike and Magic Bolt won't grey out until the
current sword enchantment is completely used up (even if there's not
enough power to use the ability) and Mask of Sorrow will not grey at
all. If the usability status of an ability changes, Maximo's ability
bar will pop up and the ability(ies) affected will flash.

5.1. Sword Attack Abilities (Green)
These abilities have no requirement to use. The standard drop icon is a
sword.

Second Strike
Symbol: Two arrows curving around each side
Press the square button twice in rapid succession to make 2 strikes in
a row. If the first strike hits, the second one cannot be blocked. If
the first strike is blocked, the attack will fail.

Mighty Blow
Symbol: Explosion
Press the triangle button while moving to have Maximo thrust his sword
forward. This replaces the overhead strike while moving, and does the
same amount of damage as the overhead strike.

Furious Spin Attack
Symbol: Two arrows going in the same direction around the circle
Performing the normal spin attack will cause Maximo to spin around
twice, striking all nearby enemies.

5.2. Shield-Based Abilities (Blue)
All of these abilities require a shield. Some have additional
requirements. The standard drop icon is a shield.

Throw Shield
Symbol: U-turn symbol
Press the circle button to toss your shield out. Any shield abilities
will activate immediately. If the shield causes damage to an enemy
while thrown, one point of strength will be taken off of the shield.

Mighty Throw
Symbol: Arrows going forward
Requires: Throw Shield ability
The range of Maximo's thrown shield increases.

Hovering Shield
Symbol: Fan-like symbol on each side
Requires: Throw Shield ability
If the circle button is held down when a shield is thrown, it will
hover in place once it reaches maximum distance. Release the circle
button to recall the shield.

Shield of Midas
Symbol: Whirl
A normal shield block (R2) will attract any treasures that are nearby.
Throwing the shield will increase the range at which treasures can be
collected. The shield will collect only monetary treasures and Spirits
(Death Coins cannot be collected with the shield). Maximo must collect
ability spheres, extra lives, armor powerups, and health items
directly. If you have another shield type powerup (Shield of Thunder,
Shield of Storms), this will replace it.
Notes: Found in Level 4, Level 10 and Level 18. Randomly dropped in the
Spirit Realm.

Shield of Thunder
Symbol: Lightning Bolt
Powerup Symbol: Shield surrounded by a static field
If an enemy attacks while Maximo is blocking, a thunder strike will hit
them, causing damage. This has the power of a normal sword swipe. If
thrown, a lighting bolt will appear both above and below the shield,
causing damage to anyone hit by it (the shield will not take damage in
this case), but it will disappear once the shield has reached its
maximum distance (using Hovering Shield with this ability is useless).
This will replace any shield type powerup you may have.

Shield of Storms
Symbol: Wind
Powerup Symbol: Shield surrounded by a whirlwind
Requires: Shield
If an enemy attacks while Maximo is blocking, they will suffer blizzard
damage. Throwing the shield will create a storm below it, causing
damage to anything it hits. This replaces Shield of Midas and Shield of
Thunder, if you have either of them.

5.3. Magical Sword Abilities (Red)
Most of these abilities do not require anything. The standard drop icon
is a sword.

Long Sword
Symbol: Sword with an arrow on top
Maximo's sword increases slightly in length, allowing him to strike
enemies farther away.
Notes: Commonly dropped in Castle Maximo.

Ring of Pain
Symbol: Web
A downward strike now causes damage to anyone hit by the shockwave.
Notes: Acquiring Wider Shockwave will expand the radius of damage.

Wider Shockwave
Symbol: Bullseye
The shockwave radius of a downward strike increases. Useful when
combined with Ring of Pain.

Gold Seeker
Symbol: Explosion, different from that of Mighty Blow
A green ring will expand outward from Maximo after performing a
downward strike. If it hits any buried treasure, it will be unearthed.
Good for getting Mastery on levels, but this is a pretty rare ability.
Notes: Obtaining Wider Shockwave will expand the range of the seeker
considerably. Rarely dropped in the Frozen Wastes.

Magic Bolt
Symbol: Fireball
Powerup Symbol: Bolts circling around a sword
Requires: Sword enhancement with at least 2 units of energy
Press the triangle button twice to unleash a bolt that will usually hit
an enemy if they are close enough and Maximo is facing them. Two sword
units will be used in this attack, and it cannot be used with only one
unit remaining.
Notes: A relatively common drop in most stages.

Doomstrike
Symbol: Demon
Powerup Icon: Demon symbol with several lights revolving around it
(this can be confused for a sword enchantment)
Requires: Sword enhancement with at least 4 units of energy
Use the downstrike combination, but press the triangle button twice
instead of once. Maximo will unleash a deadly attack (the actual attack
varies depending on the type of sword enhancement he has). This will
consume 4 sword units, and cannot be used if less than 4 remain.
Notes: Dropped fairly often by enemies. Occasionally found just sitting
around as well.

5.4. Armor Abilities (Yellow)
No standard drop icon (there's only two of these).

Increased Armor
Symbol: Anvil with a hammer
Maximo's armor capacity increases from 3 to 4. There is no change of
appearance if he has 4 armor units. He must gain 5 units of armor to
have the maximum armor ability go into effect. When this ability is
picked up, Maximo will gain an armor level, even if he already had the
ability.
Notes: Commonly dropped in the Great Dank and Spirit Realm.

Mask of Sorrow
Icon: Yellow icon with an odd-looking mask
Requires: Maximum Armor
If Maximo gains maximum armor while carrying this ability, not only
will he be completely invincible, he will destroy every enemy he comes
in contact with. As usual, the 20 second time limit applies, and this
powerup has no effect against a boss (if you can even reach a boss with
this on).
Notes: Occasionally dropped by enemies in the Spirit Realm. Also found
in Level 10 as a stationary powerup. If Increased Armor is equipped,
armor unit requirement is raised to 5.

6. Special Abilities

Sorceresses' Kisses
Each of the 4 Sorceresses has one of these. To acquire them, select
their kiss when choosing a gift after you beat the boss guarding them
for the first time. Alone, they are useless, but if you have all 4 of
them, the Gallery is unlocked on the main screen (you do not need to
finish the game to obtain the Gallery). You need only keep them on one
of your 3 saves to access the Gallery. They take up one space in your
ability bar, and will most likely be occupying a lock spot (if you are
going for the Gallery unlock, you should keep these locked. If any are
lost and the game is saved, the Gallery gravestone will disappear if no
other save has all 4 kisses).
Note: Each Kiss is a different color, and does not correspond to any
specific group.

Foot Cheese
This odd ability can be found in Level 1 (Grave Danger). It might be
awhile before you can get it, as it costs 500 koins. The Wheel of
Prizes containing this ability is near the start of the level. Once
acquired, Maximo will be able to walk over undead ground area (where
undead would be reaching up to grab him) without a loss of speed.
However, this ability will not appear on the ability bar, and if Maximo
dies, this ability is gone for good. Maximo's feet will emit a greenish
smoke while he has this.
Extra Note: It is possible, though very rare, to get this ability from
a Mystery Wheel (for 150 koins).

Sword Enhancements
There are 4 different types of enhancements, each with a varying
effect. All magic bolts are the same (Armageddon is slightly different
from the others), but the Doomstrike effects vary. Each enhancement has
puts 20 units of energy into the sword circle. Use them up and the
enhancement will expire. A Magic Bolt costs 2 units, and a Doomstrike
costs 4. Find sword charge icons to replenish 5 units of energy. If you
find another sword enhancement while one is in effect, the new one will
replace the old and refill the meter (if it's the same type, the meter
will just be completely filled).

Flame Tongue
This is probably the first one you'll pick up. Maximo's sword is
charged with the power of fire. Most enemies will only take double the
damage compared to an ordinary sword strike. However, enemies specific
to the Ship Graveyard have a tendency to take 4 times as much damage.
Doomstrike results in a whirlwind of fire.

Frostbiter
Commonly found in the Ship Graveyard, this has the tendency to freeze
your opponents with a single swipe. An overhead strike or mighty blow
will shatter the ice and cause your opponent to fall. This is the only
enhancement that permits you to attack bombardier skeletons without
ducking first and take no damage as a result of the strike (normal
strikes will cause 3 units of damage to Maximo, due to hitting the bomb
pack that the skeleton carries). Enemies of the cold are immune to the
freezing effects. A Magic Bolt fires a blast of ice, which will freeze
any enemies it comes into contact with. A Doomstrike will create a hail
of ice bolts, which do not freeze the enemy. Useful if you're
surrounded.

Pure Blade
Maximo's sword is charged with holy power and does heavy damage to
undead things (which is what most creatures are). Not much else to this
weapon. Doomstrike summons a hail of light, which will do heavy damage
to enemies that are in its radius.

Armageddon
Now this is an excellent enhancement. Dealing quadruple damage to
almost all enemies (I believe bosses are the only exception) is
definitely nothing to sneeze at. The problem happens to be that this
powerup is rarely found. A Magic Bolt fires an area-wide shockwave,
which will disintegrate most enemies, and the Doomstrike, creates a
hail of darkness, which lasts for some time, and follows Maximo around
as he moves. It also has a much bigger radius.

7. Conclusion

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