Grim Fandango

aka: Deeds of the Dead
Moby ID: 201
Conversion (official) Included in

Description official descriptions

Not much is known about the life of Manuel "Manny" Calavera. It is, however, known what happened to him after he died. The Land of the Dead is where all people are reincarnated after death, turning into skeletal figures. The Land of the Dead is also very similar to the world of the living: people work, have careers, fall in love, and can even die again, turning into flowers. And they all await their final destiny - a trip to the underworld. Depending on their deeds in life, they might get a good journey or be destined to walk there without any means.

Manny works in a travel agency that takes care of such trips. But recently, something has been going wrong. Manny is unable to get good clients, and he suspects that there is a scheme to falsify the dossiers of dead people, offering the best trips to scoundrels for bribes. Manny's grand adventure begins as he steps into the world of corruption and intrigues.

Grim Fandango is a puzzle-solving adventure game that describes several years of Manny Calavera's afterlife. Influenced by Mexican mythology, film noir and Art Deco, the game combines 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds. The traditional mouse interaction was abandoned in favor of keyboard control for movements and actions. Manny is navigated with arrow keys, and tilts his head whenever something attracts his interest; the object or character in question can then be examined or interacted with.

As usually in LucasArts' adventure games, conversations offer plenty of different responses that can be chosen by the player. Despite the lack of the option to combine items with each other within the inventory, the game still contains many challenging puzzles that require manipulating inventory items and the environment.

Spellings

  • 冥界狂想曲 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 神通鬼大 - Traditional Chinese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Windows version)

188 People (187 developers, 1 thanks) · View all

Project Leader
Lead Artist
Lead Programmer
Conceptual Artist
Music Composed and Produced By
Assistant Designers
Production Manager
Production Coordinator
Programmers
Character Animation
Background Artists
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 92% (based on 55 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.2 out of 5 (based on 412 ratings with 23 reviews)

Swan song in the afterlife

The Good
LucasArts brought joy and excitement to adventure fans during their most dominant era - the early 1990's. However, like many other genres, adventure games underwent a crisis during the troublesome second half of the decade; unlike some other genres, they never truly recovered. I think that LucasArts' own output during that time was inferior to what they have achieved before. That is, with the exception of one game, where the company's creativity suddenly broke out with unseen power - only to be silenced for good afterwards.

Grim Fandango can be described in three words: hardcore classical adventure. Which means that it does not follow the fashionable route of Myst, nor does it dumb down gameplay in favor of long cutscenes and whatever else the dramatization of the genre has brought with it. This game has puzzles, and many of them are tough - but, with a few exceptions, they aren't abstract; they are organically woven into the game's texture, inseparable from its world. It is not one of those games that throws thousands of puzzles at you without giving you any clues - no, the clues are there, yet due to their sheer complexity, the puzzles are often difficult to solve. Being a very large game, it also demands a lot of concentration from the player.

Grim Fandango follows the classic LucasArts rule (no dying, no getting stuck), and the amount of experimenting with items is somewhat reduced by the inability to combine items within your inventory - but do not think for a second that this makes the game any easier. Typical inventory-based puzzles are relatively rare compared to complex machinery-oriented tasks you'll encounter in many parts of the game. But the strength of its puzzle design lies in the fact that those puzzles are neither isolated nor self-sufficient. There is still plenty of fun item-collecting from the good old comedy days, and rich dialogue branches to explore. In short, there is variety and challenge - two essential components of good game design.

Grim Fandango is a large game - both in terms of longevity and the size of its world. The developers struck a perfect balance between free-form exploration and focused advancement, giving us generous playable areas that take a while to complete, but also changing the scenery drastically in each of its several long chapters. Thus, the game avoids both the radical streamlining of Full Throttle and the monotonous hub-exploration of The Dig. The sheer magnitude of its world reminded me of Zak McKracken - of all LucasArts adventures, these two are the only ones I would describe as "epic".

The game's world is a stylish masterpiece possibly surpassing everything the company has done before in pure artistic value. I have never seen its main stylistic components united in the same work - let alone in such a seamless and convincing fashion. Whoever first came up with the bizarre idea of mixing film noir with Art Deco and Mexican mythology deserves a special prize in a competition for original settings. Even a weaker game would be worth checking out just thanks to the unique world.

This world has been carefully crafted in meticulous detail, turning simple office rooms into chef-d'oeuvres of visual design. Colors, angles, decorations, architecture, furniture, character faces, street lamps - everything is recreated with almost decadent opulence, brilliantly reflecting the main themes of the game's story. The pre-rendered backgrounds are splendidly rich and colorful, and well-animated 3D character models are combined with them immaculately. In general, Grim Fandango is one of the most lavishly presented adventure games of all times.

Grim Fandango also has one of the best stories ever to grace an adventure game. In a world where this genre has been firmly associated either with lighthearted comedy or the enigmatic vagueness of Myst-like impressionist style, Grim Fandango rises with its gripping plot full of intrigues, corruption, romance, and much more. It is world-embracing, intimate, touching, complex, and emotional. The most remarkable aspect of this story is that it depicts several years of the hero's life (or, in this case, life after death). While most games usually describe only a short episode they consider noteworthy, Grim Fandango draws all the right conclusions from its structure and weaves an epic tale with all its heights and lows, showing how time changes people and things, and how easy it is for us to gain or lose everything we have.

There are plenty of locations in the game, and most of them are original and memorable - the port city Rubacava with its casinos, luxury hotels, mafia bosses, and tattoo parlors, the depths of the sea, the mountains, etc. All those locations are extremely detailed and filled with people and objects, so that a strange melancholic and even nostalgic feeling envelops the player - it is just like real life, yet the real life is so far away. Yet at the same time the game is endearingly humorous. It liberally pays homage to film noir, crime novels, and other literary and cinematic styles with a dedicated realism that intensifies the dark comic effect: the supposedly desolate, mysterious afterlife turns out to resemble our world in everything - particularly in sin. Who could help smiling watching the scene where Meche removes her stockings in a perfectly captured "femme fatale" style?..

Grim Fandango is full of characters, and most of them are singularly memorable. The protagonist himself truly grows as a person - initially not particularly reliable, even a bit of a crook, Manny is gradually revealed as a courageous person, able to love deeply and without compromises. The lovable demon Glotis provides mild comic relief, but he is also a great friend with a magnanimous soul - a seemingly excellent pianist as well. I have rarely seen an adventure game with so many characters, each occupying a relatively important spot in the rich tapestry of the story.

The Bad
I wasn't as offended by the interface as some other fans of point-and-click adventures, but I can't say I liked it. You can only interact with an object if you physically approach it, at which point Manny will tilt his head in the general direction. This means you'll have to run around a lot in a busy environment, which doesn't fit the pace of adventure gameplay. Camera angles change frequently, and keyboard-based character navigation is uncomfortable no matter whether you choose the camera- or the character-dependent control scheme. I don't quite see why it was impossible to use the mouse for movement and cursor-based interaction.

Grim Fandango is highly creative, and yet there was a tiny something in the gameplay where symptoms of crisis in adventure game design could be felt. I welcomed the high difficulty level, but a few puzzles were tricky in an illogical and somewhat contrived sense - I felt that there was rather too much precision required to solve them. Then again, it is infinitely preferable to simplifying the gameplay, and luckily for the most part they balanced the puzzle difficulty remarkably well.

The Bottom Line
It was a long way from Maniac Mansion to Grim Fandango, a glorious road decorated by quite a few masterpieces. Born within a crisis that has befallen its creators and the adventure genre in general, Grim Fandango is one of LucasArts' best offerings. It is the most mature and complete manifestation of their design philosophy and a fitting epitaph to their work, a powerful final chord crowning their beautiful symphony.

Windows · by Unicorn Lynx (181780) · 2014

Extraordinary game!

The Good
The game is superb. A true example of what may be accomplished in the domain of, dare I say it, art. Stunning graphics, smooth animations, breathtaking sound-track, witty dialogue, it has it all. Now, I shall make points about how MAT is oh so wrong:

1.) "Graphic was about to be funny to us players, huh? They did it on purpose, and they actually thought we could like that ... Imagine every character's head like a rectangle with a certain depth, and face made like with a few coal lines. "

If you actually READ the manual, you would know that they were meant to look like "Calaveras", dolls used during the Day of the Dead festival to symbolize deceased relatives. And though the vertices were clearly defined, it looked right. And be glad they could get such detailed expressions with those "coal lines".

2.)

"...just for the records, your driver was like two times bigger than the car he's driving. It could seem funny, but very soon it becomes stupidly annoying..."

Again, you miss the point. Thats one of the reasons why we like Glottis. He's big. Its not necessarily funny, nor was it intended to be. Its ironic. He's a Demon who's only purpose is to drive, and he has to hack apart a car to fit in it. Hence, irony. And, his personality wouldn't really work if he were smaller. In fact, I can think of only two gags in which his size is the main factor: when he pops out of his work shed in the beggining, and {SPOILER} at the end when he hugs and nearly suffocates (uh, I guess thats not an issue) Manny.

3.)

"...the game would be much more funnier or interesting if the skeletons (and that includes all the characters) looks more vicious, like the one from Diablo or some AD&D games..."

They aren't supposed to be "vicious". Again, see No. 1 for some specifics about the art. The characters are made to be charismatic. The idea is to identify with them, explore their personality and watch as they develop and grow. You need to feel Manny's frustration, Glottis vehicle obsession, Meche's abandonment, Hector's ruthlesness, etc. These aren't static characters.

4.)

"...Way to go Lucas! You drove your best customers crazy and mad..."

I don't agree with that.



The Bad
The one flaw is the two puzzles that require complete precision. However, once you learn the trick, it becomes immensley easy. Every rose has it's thorns.

The Bottom Line
This is not a request. This is an order. Get the game. Now. Run, don't walk. If you alreay have the game, buy another copy and display it on your mantle.

The game is marvelous.

*Though the review has been quoted and edited (using ...) nothing has been ommitted or added in the used sections. The author will probably hate me now, but I figure I could use some more enemys.

Windows · by Fakey McFake (3) · 2003

Ultra stylish epic, and the beauty is more than skin-deep.

The Good
Pretty much the whole thing. Superb presentation backed up with some of the best graphics in an adventure game to date. Glorious cut-scenes with beautiful sweeping camera angles, giving the game a more cinematic and film-like quality than any other game I've ever seen. Terrific characterization, to the extent where you can tell the rudimentary personality of some of the characters after about 2 lines of dialogue. The puzzles are rock-hard! Just the way they should be. Many require deep lateral thinking as well, especially later in the game. There are many deep and varied locations to visit, including the fantastic gambling port-side town Rubacava, and on the bottom of the sea bed. Our hero, Manuel Calavera, oozes charisma and charm making him a joy to control. The atmosphere is believable and immersive. Oh, and it also has the world's best soundtrack. It is Lucasarts and everything, so you can expect this to some degree. But it blends forms of Jazz with Mexican folk music in a seamless way as if the two were born to go with each other. This leads nicely onto the art work and whole theme of the game which once again, blends film noir with Mexican folklore with art-deco. If you want any proof of the incredible attention to detail and professional quality of it all, look in the inside of the CD case.

The Bad
If you're a novice when it comes to adventure games then this will take you some time. Admittingly, some of the puzzles are a bit dodgy and unrealistic. For example, the one on the roof of the Department Of Death building in the first quarter of the game. You may find the game boring as well, like someone I know. In which case see a psychiatrist.

The Bottom Line
This is how adventure games should be done. Proof that money equals results. Not to mention it's by that virtuoso games designer Tim Schafer. This one drips class. Go buy.

Windows · by Shazbut (163) · 2002

[ View all 23 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Grim Fandango appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cut dialogue

Originally, Manny could find out the entire conspiracy in a conversation with Domino in Year Three. The audio files shipped with the game, but the dialogue tree was cut.

Gags

  • In the hallway of the DOD there is a picture of a boat. If you look at in Manny says "Not that I have a choice, but I wonder if I would be happier working on a ship. Then again I'm so competitive I wouldn't be able to rest until I was Captain." At the end of year two on the ship he is just the cleaner, and then a year later he is the captain.
  • The main character in this game is a skeleton, take a look at the side of the box and you'll see a different LucasArts logo. The usual golden figure who raises his arms (towards the sun?) is replaced by a skeleton.

References

  • The game's hero is Manny Calavera. Calaveras are actually those skeleton-dolls, which the majority of the characters in this game are.
  • One of the characters is called Olivia Ofrenda. "Ofrenda" is a Mexican celebration of the dead.
  • As in many others LucasArts games, you can find Max, from Sam & Max. Go to the tattoo parlor (in Rubacava, you must walk all the way to the right). Take a look to the poster and you will find him in the tattoo designs.
  • In year 2, there is a part of the game where you see a Blimp/Zeppelin hovering in the air above the Cat Tracks... As you cross the bridge under it, a short melody plays which is part of the opening theme to Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe... and older World War 2 flightsim from Lucasarts (or Lucasfilm Games as it was known back then)
  • Including the references mentioned below, the game's characters have many similarities to actual Day of the Dead objects. There is, for example, Don Copal - Copal is a festive resin from tropical trees often burned in special bowls on graves during the Day of the Dead in Mexico.
  • You soon end up working for an underground organisation called the L.S.A., or the Lost Souls Alliance. As stated in the manual Grim Fandango is steeped in references to Aztec and Mayan culture and art (as well as Mexican folklore and film noir of the 1930's, 40's and 50's). LSA (for short) is the psychoactive ingredient of 'Ololiuqui' - the Aztec name for the seeds of certain plants that have been used and held sacred by the Aztecs for many years. This may or may not be intentional but trivia nonetheless!
  • The game contains a reference to Frank Herbert's sci-fi cult novel Dune. At the end of the 4th year, when Salvador bites down on a fake tooth, releasing a cloud of poison that kills both him and his victim, he alludes to an almost identical event in Dune.

Budget & Sales

The budget was a whopping 3 million dollars but the sales didn't live up to that investment. As of 2004, Grim Fandango is the only game that didn't make LucasArts a profit.

Saving screen

As you progress through the game, more of the design over the save screen will show.

Title

The game was originally going to be named Deeds of the Dead but the management at LucasArts didn't want a reference to death in the title.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • April 1999 (Issue #177) – Best Adventure Game of the Year (together with Sanitarium)
    • January 2001 (Issue #199) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
    • March 2001 (Issue #200) - #7 Best Game Of All Time
  • GameStar (Germany)
    • Issue 12/1999 - #87 in the "100 Most Important PC Games of the Nineties" ranking
  • PC Gamer
    • April 2000 - #41 in the "All-Time Top 50 Games" poll
  • PC Player (Germany)
    • Issue 01/2000 - Best Adventure in 1999
  • PC Powerplay (Germany)
    • Issue 11/2005 - #2 Game Which Absolutely Needs A Sequel
  • Power Play
    • Issue 02/1999 – Best Adventure in 1998

Information also contributed by Adam Baratz, Emepol, James Isaac. PCGamer77, Roedie, Scott Monster, [SDfish, [Tom Murphy](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,66915/), [WildKard](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,16566/), [Unicorn Lynx](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,6226/) and [Zack Green](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,9727/)](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,45163/)

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Shinkyoku Sōkai Polyphonica
Released 2007 on PlayStation 2
Shinkyoku Sōkai Polyphonica: After School
Released 2010 on PlayStation 2, PSP
Styx: Master of Shadows
Released 2014 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Noobs Want to Live
Released 2023 on Windows, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch
Umineko: Golden Fantasia
Released 2017 on Windows
Yūkyū Gensōkyoku
Released 1997 on SEGA Saturn, PlayStation
Fantasia of the Wind
Released 2017 on Macintosh, Windows
Ōgon Musōkyoku
Released 2010 on Windows

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 201
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Ryan Lucas.

Additional contributors: Swordmaster, Xa4, Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, Zack Green, Shoddyan, James Isaac, Zeppin, CaesarZX, Paulus18950, Cantillon, Thomas Helsing, Patrick Bregger, Ingsoc, FatherJack.

Game added August 10, 1999. Last modified March 27, 2024.