It's been 8 months since Maximo saved his village from Achille. He and Grim are still on the lookout for Sophia when a clockwork army appears controlled by the evil Lord Bane. Maximo heads off to find out the origin of the army and ultimately rid of Lord Bane.

The controls are about the same as the first Maximo. Players have a slash, overhead slash, jump, and shield throw. In Army of Zin the slash and overhead slash are much more combo friendly and make combat a lot more fun. Maximo can pull off a rapid stab just by tapping the square button a few times. Or he can mix it up with a overhead slash to pop an enemy in the air, followed by a horizontal slash when it lands. New moves and a new hammer weapon can be purchased from an old guard in each level. The weapons and moves all have improved range and are more useful in the sequel.

New in the sequel is a move to call upon Grim for help. As Maximo defeats the Army of Zin a soul will appear. The souls power up a meter that lets players become an invincible Grim and take out enemies. Maximo can also grab onto ledges with a stab to the side of the platform – a dandy move that makes platform jumping much more friendly.

New to Maximo are peasant characters that need to be rescued in each level. You'll see them fleeing for their lives with an enemy chasing or surrounding them. Maximo only has a brief period of time before a peasant will be whacked for good. If he or she is saved in time the peasant will hand Maximo extra items like coins or keys. The peasants add a more heroic feel to the game – they are being saved by a knight in shining armor.

The enemies have changed this time around to clockwork metallic creatures. Thought it might seem that they don’t fit with the established Maximo universe of ghosts and goblins, the metallic monsters feel right at home. They feature the same light-hearted designs from Susumu Matsushita, and the army hosts a mass of unique characters. Aside from the standard monster there are metal dogs, spiders, and ogre-type monsters that fire their fists. The boss designs are big and impressive. They include a giant bird that jumps and fires machine gun rounds and a Cyclops eye housed in a spider-like body.

The level designs have improved. A streamlined, linear map has replaced the muddled "choose-a-level" area. Environments resemble the original villages and forests, but there's much more variety. Maximo will need to platform jump through a burning house, underneath a graveyard, and a mushroom filled forest. There's also a few moderate puzzles that require quick timing. The checkpoints are more frequent and don’t require a jump down-thrust. Most importantly, players can save at any time and start at their most recent level, rather than paying coins to continue or save. The cheap deaths are now non-existent. Coffins don't pop up from the ground, most environment changes don't kill you off, and the camera does a decent job to show the path ahead.

The graphics are about the same as the first but feature more special effects. Enemies from the Army of Zin hurl down from the sky and explode as they land. There are a lot of great fire effects, smoke effects, and clever animations. The sound effects are great and players can expect loud clanks and booms as Maximo muscles his way through combat. The soundtrack is excellent and creates great mood and urgency.

There are a few hiccups. Like all action games the camera can get stuck in weird places that don't give you a great view. The action can also slow down at points when there's too much action on the screen at once.

Maximo vs. Army of Zin is a smack above its predecessor in every way. The game may feel a bit too much like the last. But the fights are fair, the combat is fun, and the classic platform gameplay is executed to a sharp perfection.