Grim Fandango (1998)

Gameplay: 2/5 Story: 2.5/5 Presentation: 3.5/5

Basis:

Story= plot progression, intrigue, characters, world

Gameplay= Mechanics, gameplay options (freedom), repetition, goals, difficulty

Presentation= graphics, animation, environment/character design, Art direction, Script, music

Cool world concept. There were a lot of super unnoticeable answers to puzzles that were either to hard to see with the low grade graphics or just not designed well. This led to a lot of time wasted.

I've never been able to give a five star rating to a game after my beloved Planescape Torment. That's not because I haven't played some incredible games, but because PST set the bar so high that I just feel that I can't put another game, no matter how much I love it, in that same league. Why am I starting with this? Because I strongly considered giving GF a five star rating.

I ended up talking myself out of it, mostly because some of the puzzles and game mechanics are pretty annoying. Finding the right spot to click or stand can be an exercise in frustration. To give you an example, early on you have to click a lock on the door. But the entire door is considered an interactable object, and there's no change in the cursor between the lock and the door. It took me a few tries to realize that there was a separate spot in the door itself that needed to be clicked on. Things like that became frustrating over time, as it was rarely easy to tell if I couldn't progress because I wasn't clicking on the right part of the object, wasn't using the right item on it, or I was interacting with the wrong thing for that part of the game entirely.

But my biggest complaint is that I loved the characters--who are very well written; even the ones who only have a few lines are quirky and interesting--and settings so much that I found I hated it when a year ended and the story jumped ahead in time. I wanted to stay with them and see what adventures they were having. I get why we couldn't, but it didn't stop the feeling of wanting more of them and their incredible, imaginative world. Much like with PST, there's remarkable attention to detail, and it's all used to build the world with great care. GF is clearly a work of love.

I didn't play the original version, so I can't comment on how well the remaster holds up. But I can say that this has definitely earned its classic status, and it's well worth picking up.

At first Grim Fandango Remastered (PC) is a rather fun time and a very funny game, it has a humor which is a bit diverse and ranges enough to keep one engaged. You have a few characters that are just goofy and there are some that are amusing or interesting in other ways, so it's quite fun to talk to people in it. Some jokes are very witty and sometimes things are quite subtle (Like the Tattoo artist)

The gameplay itself is mediocre, and some puzzles are better than others. Some stuff hasn't aged well such as the nature of interaction with puzzles and item based puzzles, or the fixed camera scenes which make transition from one screen to the next okay but on first visit it is awkward. You get used to it after several visits (and there will be several re-visits to such rooms/scenes unless you go straight off a guide). Anyone who gets good milage out of the remaster (or the original) will ignore these things and enjoy where the game shines in the aesthetic and art. (The remaster comes with almost 100 concept art unlocks and its quite good stuff) Its unique and creative. Design is good in different places with what we have to work with. It's a pretty beautiful game and it has thsi kind of vibe to it along the lines of Fallout or Bioshock due to that old world nonsense. A good PnC manages to have some atmosphere and just like Westwood's Blade Runner this game has some pretty good background music and ambiance in each scene. Some rooms have live piano, elevator music, maybe some industrila noise, then a walk into an ajacent room might create a louder or weaker signal of that noise. There is also quite a bit of lively background chatter, random dialogue and other good bits. This manages to make the game feel more alive and less static. All of this goes great with clever writing and a rather almost lorish background for your adventure. Quite an accomplishment really.

I've only played little bits and pieces of some old monkey island games, I dont quite recall the same kind of atmosphere in that game (it had a similiar style and real weird puzzle solutions though)

While the ride itself is rough with these puzzles, some of the difficulty is amelioarted by seperating the game in various chapters/act which segregate and limit previous areas/items. i dont much like these puzzles either but when progress is made and player is rewarded with it's nonsenseical laughs and cajoling but tough to say that saves this game in the end. It's dry gameplay. I found it to suffer like many PnC's it's a lot of back and forth stuff, getting lost every now and then and having to turn to a guide to go further. A lot of these puzzles you know something is up with an object, a person or a new path that opens up but you dont know what.... And this is frustrating when you know you are close but just plain stumped. Sometimes it's something very innocous like just waiting in the room until an event happens. I dont like that approach (it's most likely just a dated mechanic, and adds to the randomization factor and the feeling of the world being alive) but it provides a lot of variety in the paths to solve the puzzles. This one has pretty good design in some ways (such as segregation of areas) Ultimately puzzle games are often so arbitrary. (Apparently default adventure game design is: Arbitrary+MacGyvering=Captain Obvious! XD) Grim Fanango is not above the rest in this regard, it's every bit just as 'bad'. In fact in the later part of the game the puzzles just get worse. Often the solutions are just real abstract usage of tiems and places to use them. Other times its interface issues. Sometimes it's in game hints or lore that one might not have picked up on (there's no tabulating 'notebook' or anything like that) Other times things get even more tedius, such as when a solutions sometimes are simply implied (such as the search for tools, they become freed up but they are too large to pick up, and the player can't even interact with them so it is implied they are free for you to use when you need them to solve a tool related puzzle... Just horrible!) And finally there are quite a few deliberate red herrings in the game in diff ways that would throw me off. I played the remaster and have no experience with the original or even anything else done by LucasArts, but found it well worth playing with the aid of an excellent guide the game came with that drops subtle hints in layers when i felt i needed it. Music, art style and jokes make it worth it but Arbitrary solution to puzzles was never fun to begin with not even 25 years ago.

In the end I almost just wanted to watch a let's play of this game because its so entertaining but unlocking scenes, funny dialogue videos etc is very much a reward to the player to experience first hand and would not carry the same weight. It took me quite a while to complete this, maybe about 20-25 hours. It's a very good PnC game and has a lot to like, but I lack fondness for the PnC and its fair to say that Grim Fandango doesnt transcend that gap. Peter Chan concept art gallery is very nice indeed, and so very detailed not just aesthetic but puzzle orientations/approaches and solutions as well! Very much worth looking at after a playthrough. It also included cut content, such as 'atomic themed' casinos (very fallout) rayguns and more.

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
-Richard Puz

This is why I gladly take the recommendations of friends.

I didn’t get to play Grim Fandango when it originally came out in ’98 on Microsoft Windows and I was hardly even aware of it, in fact, until recently. I’d caught a few glimpses of it before but subconsciously brushed it off as gimmicky or excessively morbid (shut up, Tim Burton). My mistake. Grim Fandango is neither. I’m happy to report that I’ve finally been able to play this game to its completion thanks to the remastered version re-released on the PS4.Grim Fandango was created by Tim Schafer and published by LucasArts (the remaster was with Double Fine Productions), back when they still made hilarious video games, and is an adventure game. This genre of gaming is rare nowadays but it was characterized by story driven puzzles, interactive conversations, item acquisition and even more puzzles. Many adventure games were text-based, as well, or point-and-click.

Widely considered to be a veritable classic, an award-winning achievement in video game artistry and narrative, Grim Fandango combines a series of bizarre and unrelated influences to create something truly unique.

The game splices stylizing from Mesoamerican folklore and religious beliefs, namely Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday, and film noir mystery and crime melodramas. Day of the Dead and film noir? Together? In one game? Grim Fandango takes cues from the likes of The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and Casablanca. Here’s lookin’ at you, jefe.

Click here for the full review... https://thewellredmage.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/gr...