Grim Fandango Review

Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Well, Grim Fandango has that answer for you. You end in a dark office in a tall building, waiting for your agent. Depending on how much good you were in life will result in how you get to travel to Heaven!

This is where we start. We play as Manuel “Manny” Calavera, a salesman in the Department of the Dead. Manny’s job is to sell the best traveling package for the newly diseased. Lately though, Manny has only recieved low-tier customers with very little goodwill to pay off the prime tickets. Thinking this a freak coincidence, Manny decides to steal a customer from his big-shot co-worker Domino. This almost too perfect customer, who was an angel in her living life, can only afford the cheapest ticket of them all, opening up for a mystery and a conspiracy that out protagonist takes upon him to unravel!

Manny meets up with resistance fighters who has uncovered a conspiracy among the Department of Death. The salesmen are stealing the prime tickets of the good customers, rendering them with bad transportation through the Land of the Dead. Wanting to do good, our protagonist wants to stop this crime altogether with helping her patron saint customer, who he sent on her way with the wrong ticket.

What follows is 4 chapters of gameplay, each in a new location. Whereever Manny goes, he puts his mark whether it is by flipping an old diner into a top casino or by modifying a ship into super-speed. Throughout his adventure Manny meets interesting people, some good, some bad. Traveling through the Land of the Dead solving puzzles we finally uncover the mystery, and meet back up with our damsel in distress.

The story in Grim Fandango is real good. Entertaining from the beginning to end, filled with interesting and funny characters, lovely LucasArt dialogue and a distinct art style. The game originally came out in 1998, but had a re-release in 2015 with improved graphics. The game never looked bad, it has it’s own take on the Land of the Dead, but the updated graphics does make the game more enjoyable whilst looking nice. You can even choose to play with the old tank controls (and get an achievement for completing the game with them!). The puzzles within the game are on the easier side making the game playable for a younger audience.

Another big plus for the game is the soundtrack. All the way through you are treated to amazing jazz-music in a noir style. It fits perfectly within the theme and feeling of the game, and truly enhances the experience. The music is very slow-paced, reliant on brass instruments.

All in all Grim Fandango is an amazing point-and-click game. Getting a remake was well deserved, and gives a younger audience a perfect chance to play a true gem of a game within the Point and Click Adventure genre.