Grim Fandango Remastered Reviews

Though Grim Fandango received critical acclaim, and several awards, following its original LucasArts release in 1998, the point and click adventure game has remained in a cult classic status over the last several years. Many people didn't know about it, or simply forgot about it over time. Its comedic style mixed with a Mexican noir overtone made it a highly unique production, one that still stands out strongly to this day. Given its humor and all around wacky characters, it's no surprise that Double Fine Productions are the company behind its 2015 remaster.

So before jumping into the game as a whole, I'm going to outline the differences with the Remastered version for those who've played the title previously. If you're familiar with the upgraded 3D models in either Final Fantasy VII or VIII, you'll know what to expect when it comes to the ones in Grim Fandago Remastered. Basically, the once heavily polygon ridden characters are now smoothed and rounded out; along with most of the objects that you can pick up or otherwise interact with. The backgrounds and cutscenes have been left in their original, unaltered state, so there's a little bit of a contrast, but the game as a whole has aged decently. The soundtrack and voices have been given a HD upgrade as well. You can now also pick between standard and oldschool tank controls. Accompanying your journey through the eighth underworld is one fantastic soundtrack, and in this version, you get the pleasure of hearing it re-recorded in its entirety with a live orchestra. From jazzy be-bops to melancholic noir stylings, to fast paced chaos when the moment is right, it's definitely not an audible experience that you'll be forgetting anytime soon.

The player assumes the role of Manuel (Manny) Calavera, who is a travel agent at the Department of Death in the afterlife city of El Marrow; he often dresses as a grim reaper to help his clients transition from this presumed land of limbo into the next plane of existence. The better living life that his clients lived, the more likely they are to be able to afford a ticket on one of the luxurious methods of transportation to said realm, but lately it seems that all of Manny's clientele are destined to set out on a 4 year journey by foot to the next life instead. Since he has been forced into the life of a travel agent to work off his debt to "the powers that be", and he only gets "commission" if they qualify for a ticket, Manny grows increasingly frustrated that none of his applicants seem to qualify for the deluxe rides and sets out to get to the bottom of what's going on. What follows is a tale of mystery, heartbreak, betrayal, and comedic gold.

Whether they be good, bad, or downright despicable, all of the characters in Grim Fandago are extraordinarily charismatic and each of them have a well crafted personality with accompanying backstory. The dialogue interactions between each one of them is usually in some way humorous, but not in such a manner that it sticks out bluntly; a large chunk of the hilarity that ensues is very casual, and that's one of the many aspects that makes this game such a success. Along with main main Manny, you will also encounter his lovable demon mechanic sidekick Glottis, his arch rival Domino, the woman named Menche that he's desperately trying to save, and many other lovable personalities. They're all fully voice acted also, amazingly well I might add, and most characters have a prevalent Mexican accent.

As per ususal with point and click adventure games, almost everything that you need to do in order to progress is some sort of puzzle. Most of them are pretty straightforward, or are easy to solve with a little bit of brain power. There are only a handful of really 'big', complex riddles to solve, and some individuals may find themselves getting frustrated and stuck on them even with the use of a text or visual aid. However, they're all very creative and unlike anything seen in any other games of the same genre, from the same time period. Nevertheless, overcoming these obstacles is well worth the effort in order to see the entire game to completion at the end of Year 4. That's another trait worth mentioning, that Grim Fandago is split up into 4 "Years" that work just like chapters, and the first two are the longest.

For a game that's over 15 years old, Grim Fandago Remastered really holds up well in the modern world; it's even better than most newer titles of the point and click genre. Overall, it's really the vibrant, well crafted characters and brilliant voice acting that puts this title so far ahead of the curve; along with the unique setting, and Mexican folklore mixed with a detective noir style. If you're a fan of the genre, or even if you're not, this is one event that you shouldn't be putting off experiencing for the story and characters alone. Given the amount of work that has been put in to the remaster, along with the minimum 5 hours of playtime, the asking price is absolutely justified.

Rating: 5.0/5.0 - An astonishing achievement, this game must be played.
The Horror Network
Steam Group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork
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^{This review was originally written for Gamin' Girl.}

Grim Fandango was released for PC in 1998. Remastered in HD and released just over 16 years later, has the game stood the test of time?

Back in 1998 when LucasArts was developing some of the most noteworthy adventure titles around, Grim Fandango was one of Tim Schafer’s final titles with the company. Now that LucasArts has moved on to video game licensing, it only seems apt that Schafer’s new studio, Double Fine Productions, gained the license to remake Grim Fandango for a modern audience. Just over 16 years later, how has the game fared with its new shiny coat of paint?


“But now we dance this Grim Fandango”

Manny Calavera is a travel agent for the Department of Death (D.O.D.), located in the Land of the Dead. He must do his time and earn his way to the Ninth Underworld, where the dead can finally be laid to rest. To do this, he must sell tickets for the Number Nine train to the souls who have been good in their time amongst the living. Each ticket earns him a commission but his rival, Domino Hurley, always seems to get the best clients. In an attempt to get a better client and his commission, Manny steals a “perfect” client from Domino, only to find that she must embark on a four year journey through the Underworld. Determined to find out what is going on, Manny sets out to uncover the conspiracy and save his client from danger.

The Land of the Dead is a world heavily influenced by Aztec mythology — more specifically, the belief that the dead must take a perilous four-year journey through nine levels of the underworld to reach the final destination of Mictlan. The story is separated into four chapters, each of which takes place on the Day of the Dead over a period of four consecutive years. The characters themselves are based on the Mexican calaca figures that are used to celebrate the Day of the Dead. When you add in a touch of Art Deco and a heavy dose of film noir, you have a game that has a very unique feel.


“I was just wrenching it for fun, but your idea’s good too”

Despite the game’s bizarre premise, you are left with a story that is engaging and entertaining. This is aided by the eclectic cast of characters that support or hinder Manny on his journey. Not only are there the many calaca characters that all have their own pasts and their own reasons for reaching the Ninth Underworld, there are also demons that have been summoned to perform specific tasks within the world. The most notable of the latter is Glottis, Manny’s faithful sidekick for the majority of the game and the character that has all of the best lines.

A standard playthrough would take between 10-15 hours. Of course, your playtime varies on how well you can solve puzzles where the solution can be simple, complicated or just downright bizarre. If a solution does not present itself, the chances are that you’ve not quite explored a location fully, you’ve not realised that your earlier conversation with a character held a vital clue, or you just haven’t tried using an item in the right place — there are no multi-item combinations or lengthy strings of logic to be found here. It’s a good job, then, that you feel like you want to explore the world around you and talk with the characters as much as possible. Unfortunately in adventure games of this era, the solution to your situation didn’t always have to make complete sense, meaning that the only way that you may solve some puzzles is by stumbling upon the solution by accident.


“Is there an engine that can resist the love that’s in these hands?”

At the end of the day, though, in story and settings the game is the same title that was released 16 years ago. The most important part is how the Remaster alterations have affected the game. The pause menu allows players to toggle between the new HD graphics, rendered at 4:3 ratio (although they can be stretched to 16:9), and the game’s original graphics. In comparison to some of the more modern HD remasters, very little has changed between the two versions. The game’s static backgrounds have received a slight upscaling and the game’s lighting has been improved to create effects like more meaningful shadowing. The most dramatic improvement is to the character models that, while still blocky, are much smoother than they used to be.

Meanwhile, the game’s control scheme has received a bit more attention. Although the original version’s Tank Controls were appropriate for the game’s period, they never really seemed to fit properly within an adventure title, though this control scheme does remain within the game. Now, players also have the option of using a camera-relative system that is a bit more forgiving, although the pièce de résistance is the new point-and-click mouse interface. The mouse cursor will indicate areas that can be explored, or items/characters with which the player can interact — this makes the playing of this title so much easier and negates the need to wander around aimlessly.


“That might be them now. Let’s see just what they deserve”

Overall, the graphics may not have aged terribly well, but the title is a homage to a time where storytelling was the most important part of a game. In an age where single-player campaigns seem to play second fiddle to online multiplayer battles, a campaign that lasts 10-15 hours is a rarity. With memorable characters and puzzles that don’t feel like you need a degree to solve them, this is an experience that players both new and old can enjoy.