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Probably one of the best adventure games ever made

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 79 / 81
Date: September 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I was very dubious when I started playing Grim Fandango. An adventure game with polygons? And the SCUMM menu interface system that was in every single past Lucasarts adventure game was gone? But I gave it a try. Thank goodness I did.

Grim Fandango is a story about Manny Calavera, a travel agent for the souls of the dead. He sells packages to the departed for their four year journey to their just rewards, and if he sells enough he can earn enough to make his own trip someday.

Imagine the theme of Casablanca with some mexican folklore and Mayan art thrown in for fun. Add big orange demons, hot rods, killer beavers, cat races, and the grim reaper and you have Grim Fandango.

The story is supurb and the voice acting was top notch. It's very difficult to do a dramatic yet humorous story, but somehow this game pulls it off. Grim Fandango could yank me to the brink of tears one moment and cause me to almost bust a gut another.

The things that make a good adventure game are all there. Logical puzzles that don't cause your gameplay to come to a standstill until you solve them, good acting, good animation, and good code! If I were ever forced to reccomend only on adventure game to someone, this would be it! Especially at the new low price!

Top-notch adventure game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 38 / 39
Date: October 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Grim Fandango is one of those games that you look forward to playing every day after work or school. It's not only fun; it is a masterpiece of game design. The graphics are beautiful, the audio quality is superb, and the interface is intuitive and incredibly easy to learn. Manny (the main character) always turns his head towards something when you can interact with it. Then you simply press a button and he can describe it, use it, pick it up, talk with it, etc. It's a great system, one that feels very natural and makes the flow of the game as smooth as possible.

The story behind the game is based on Mexican folklore; in the early stages of the game, el Dia del Muerto is the central theme. The characters are all quite colorful, especially Manny Calavera the protagonist and his ursine driver, Glottis. Clever humor is interwoven throughout the storyline and dialogue, promising hours of hearty laughs.

Not everyone will like this game, though. Adventure games don't have the quasi-universal appeal they used to, and for this reason some gamers may actually find Grim Fandango "boring". I, for one, found it to be an extremely entertaining game. You can even play with other people, despite the fact that it is a single-player game; the story unfolds so much like a movie that, even if you're not controlling Manny, you can enjoy what's going on on the screen.

Grim Fandango is an adventure game. If you liked the Monkey Island series or any other LucasArts adventure games, or games like King's Quest or Space Quest (remember that one?), you will love this one. I sure did.

So much fun, it's worth watching someone else play!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 37 / 42
Date: July 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The GF interface is classic "adventure" gaming: point and click, put things in your inventory, solve puzzles and watch a story unfold.

The difference between GF and so many other of this genre is that everything is done right in this game... the voices, the graphics, the music, the whole look & feel, the cutscenes, the writing... GF is more than a game, it is interactive theater. It's a multimedia experience every bit as compelling as cinema. If it were a movie it would be worth watching again and again. I've read in gaming magazines that people actually cried at the end of this game, it's that well-written and performed!

But to watch this movie, you must drive the characters yourself through the action, conversing with delightfully bizarre & campy characters, solving a series of puzzles as you go. The puzzles themselves are pretty standard adventure game fare, challenging you to find out what items to give to which people or to use with which other items or places in the game world. Unlike some games, though, whose puzzles are so farfetched that once you know the solution you actually get angry at the designers, GF's are just the right blend of challenging and logical, and you'll rarely have to go to the "hint" book to get unstuck (though there are those times in any adventure game this long). And you'll want to try every conversation tree along the way, just because the responses are so funny. The inventory interface (Manny puts things into and removes them from his inner coat pocket) takes a little getting used to, but this isn't a game based on fast-twitch reflexes so after a few frustrating instances of trying to get the item you wanted out and into the game world, it eventually becomes second nature and never costs you a restart.

GF has enough innuendo and film noir references to keep adults entertained, but is clean-languaged, gore free (in the land of the dead, you don't get killed, you get "sprouted," and flowers grow from your skeleton) and OK for kids to play -- though it does get as emotionally intense as any old Bogart movie. Moments when your pulse will race or you will feel shocked and angry at the villain's sheer villainy. But it is not due to fast-paced action or graphic violence, simply that the fantastic, immersive atmosphere has sucked you into the story.

At its new low price, this game is an absolute steal. Pick up this and the third Monkey Island in jewel case format and you'll have hundreds of hours of totally entertaining gaming for your whole family for less than a trip to the movies. If it's half the game we're all saying it is, how could you go wrong?

A Day in the Land of the Dead

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 35 / 37
Date: June 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I admit it: I absolutely love adventure games. They are practically my life and, if it weren't for companies like LucasArts, Cyan, Presto Studios, etc., then I would be crying myself sore on the ground.

For the skeptics among you, let me tell you that GRIM FANDANGO is every bit as good as reviewers put it up to be. It has drama, wit, humor, and great gameplay. If you don't want to read the rest of the article, let me sum it up in two words: BUY IT.

There. That said, let me get into the game. You play Manny Calavera, a dead guy working in the Eighth Underworld (inspired by Mexican folklore about life after death.) Because of some great sin you committed in life (although I have a sneaking suspicion that he didn't do anything wrong) you are forced to work off your debt to the powers that be by selling travel packages to other newly arrived souls (think sports cars, luxury cruises or, best of all, the high-speed Number Nine train) for their journey to the Ninth Underworld, the land of eternal rest (I think). Unfortunately, due to some turn of events, the perfect client (stolen from your arch-competitor) is cheated out of her rightful package, setting in motion events concerning the dangers of the Eighth Underworld and the corruption within the agency you work for itself.

That classic LucasArts humor returns in GRIM FANDANGO. However, this time, it is not the slapstick comedy of Monkey Island and other titles but serious and more subtle humor, accentuated by superb voice acting. The characters themselves are all quite memorable; there is Mercedes Colomar, the lost soul cheated out of her right ticket on the Number Nine and forced to wander the Eighth Underworld on foot; there's Chepito, a lost soul also journeying to the Eighth Underworld. However, this southern chap hates boats, instead walking there under the ocean itself and turning blue because of the cold. There's Velasco, the crusty sea captain in the port town of Rubacava. There's the orange-skinned, purple-tongued Glottis, a "spirit of the land" summoned from the deepest deeps of the underworld with one desire, one purpose, and one wish - to drive. Finally, there's Manny himself, the Mexican dead guy trying to sort things out. He also has an uncanny ability to rise from the bottom of a corporation to the head itself (excluding his own agency, the Department of the Dead).

The puzzles are all well designed and make sense - at least, in retrospect. However, some of the puzzles are downright bizarre. For example (skip to the next paragraph if you don't want any spoilers), how about filling limp balloons with to different chemicals and sending them down the message tube to the central messaging machine so that they pop and combine to create a packing foam, allowing you access to the machine once the repair demon leaves? Kind of weird, eh? Nevertheless, the puzzles do the job right and are quite fun.

I also found the interface and controls quite fine; granted, they weren't as good as that of previous adventures using the SCUMM engine, but the GRIMM engine, despite falling short in some areas, surpasses SCUMM in others. The visuals are very good, even by today's standards, and the interface for the inventory and actions is just as good as that of SCUMM. The controls, on the other hand, are a bit clunkier; while I adjusted to them quickly enough (thanks to ESCAPE FROM MONKEY ISLAND), they are certainly less convenient than a simple point-'n-click adventure game.

My one complaint lies with the story itself - there are times when GRIM FANDANGO can seem awfully dark to some. However, despite this one shortcoming, the fact remains - you should own GRIM FANDANGO.

Enjoy your stay in the land of the dead.

The best graphic adventure. Ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 29 / 30
Date: May 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Grim Fandango is something unlike previous LucasArts games. In its creation, LucasArts dropped many of their graphic adventure standbys ("Look At", "Talk To", etc. menus) and threw themselves wholeheartedly into a 3D adventure with a brand new, simple interface. The result is the perfect blend of graphics, music, story, and puzzles.

Meet Manuel "Manny" Calavera, travel agent for the Department of Death, trying to work off his time in the Land of the Dead by selling travel packages to the newly deceased. When Mercedes "Meche" Colomar walks through his door his life (er, death...) takes a turn for the bizarre and he is flung head-first into a web of fraud, murder, and corruption.

What follows is a 4 year journey across the Land of the Dead in search of Meche and an answer to Manny's questions. Along the way you will help Manny assist Salvador Limones' revolution, run the Calavera Cafe (pulled directly from Casablanca), captain the S.S. Lola, and take a swim at the edge of the world. Not to mention interacting with the quirkiest characters ever to grace a game, solving terrific puzzles, and navigating beautifully rendered environments.

Grim Fandango is one of the best games I have ever played and the definitive graphic adventure. There will never be another to rival the sheer fun LucasArts has packed into this game. Manny Calavera and friends deserve a place on the hard drive of every computer.

And it's a super deal to boot.

WARNING!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: November 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the greatest PC adventure games ever released. It has a strong mix of puzzles, humor and moving storyline that have made it a classic. While point-and-click fanatics may not like the fact that movement is accomplished by using the arrow keys instead of the mouse, it is well worth your time to familiarize yourself with the controls, as the gameplay is unparalleled adventure game fun. HOWEVER...

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS GAME FROM MOST OF THOSE SELLERS OFFERING "NEW" COPIES HERE AT AMAZON!!!

You will find the jewel-case (no box) release of this game advertised new and factory sealed for from $22-50 by Amazon retailers. You can purchase this same version of Grim Fandango directly from the publisher (LucasArts) for a mere $15. Don't let yourself get ripped off in your excitement to purchase this classic game!

A MUST Have for the adventure game lover!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 23
Date: October 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Alright, where do I begin?! I love this game on so many levels it's hard to decide. I must admit it's probably not a kids game since the puzzles are some where between medium to hard and theres smoking (I hate smoking). Anyway, I play adventure games and flight simulators and I'm very critical in my reviews. This game is great because the main characters pesonality is very realistic and down to earth. He actually seems like a normal guy you might actually meet on the streets... except hes dead... and a skeleton. Anyway, I enjoy writing on the side and I an tell that alot of work was put into the story line. It keeps you guessing while always foreshadowing of whats going to happen next. I found myself enjoying solving the puzzles and playing the game the same way I enjoy a good mystery or adventure book. The music was VERY cool. I actually ended up buying the soundtrack from lucas arts. Shut up! I'm normal! sorta. The puzzles are very well thought out as well but sometimes get a little challenging unless you have the ability to think "out of the box" so-to-speak. The game takes HOURS or more realistically DAYS to finish and that gives you a chance to play it again! Even when your english paper is due the next day and you're out of red bull, but thats okay because you can just skip class and say you're sick unless stupid professor Swells is your neighbor... oh, sorry. Anyway, this game rocks the casba and you should buy it!

A Wildly Imaginative and Fun Adventure Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: November 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I prefer character driven, inventory-based adventure games over "kill everything in sight" shoot-em-ups. I like to use my brain, and I like to get immersed in a story. Unfortunately, there aren't many titles available that fit this bill, and there are a lot of turkeys out there. Not so, with GRIM FANDANGO. This wonderful game combines the surreal imagery of Mayan and Aztec art with the look and feel of a 1940's crime thriller. It has a genuinely funny script, challenging, but not impossible puzzles, and a terrific jazz soundtrack. Mixed into the story line are homages to Casablanca, The Petrified Forest, The Big Sleep, and dozens of other film noir classics. If you haven't tried this game, do yourself a favor and pick it up. You're in for a treat!

Favorite Game of a Non Adventure Gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: July 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I don't play adventures, but this is one of my all time favorite games withtout a doubt.

My wife and I played it together all the way through twice, and like going back to a great novel we'll probably play it again. The characters are incredibly stylish, witty, real, and lovable. The scenes are a work of art in their own right. The story is like a great movie of the film noir style, but on an epic scale. One episode in the game pay tribue to Casablanca and it does it very well. If these elements sound attractive, then you will not be disappointed.

The puzzles were pretty darn hard at times. I had to use a walkthrough.

I tried other popular adventure games like The Longest Journey and Monkey Island, but in contrast they had poor acting, dumb jokes, and annoying characters. If I may say it, Grim Fandango suits a more sophisticated taste but still would not bore a young audience.

Incredible value! Tons of fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: January 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the funnest computer games of any kind I have ever played. I am about halfway through it, and the story is intriguing and imaginatively done. Even if you get stuck on some of the puzzles, you can still wander around and have fun while you are mulling it over. The characters are a lot of fun, and I love the graphics in this. So far, it seems like you can't die (your progress is just slower if you make the wrong decisions), so you also don't have to worry about saving your place before you try something "risky." (My husband calls that "invoking the spell of many saves.")

The puzzles have a nice variety in difficulty, and this game is unique in seeming old-fashioned while at the same time being like nothing else you've ever played. In short, this is a fantastic game at a great price. Just buy it!!

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