![]() In itself the game is peculiar graphically, mixing 2d painted art, 3d models, and video. Like many remasters, there’s a taste of ambiguity on what was changed, but the original graphics are available, offering proof that it had been improved from the original release. Graphically, the game is dated, even in the remastering. It’s peculiar at times, but there’s no denying the Land of the Dead has its own sense of culture. The place itself echoes the breathing world, with the lot of a soul’s afterlife reflective of how they lived their occupations, their personalities, and their eventual comeuppances are are laid out as a mirror to their lives. The music is distinct, blending macabre, noir and mexican tones, layering the leitmotifs of different characters throughout, and turns the soundtrack for this particular netherworld into the very-alive Land of the Dead. It’s a rare insight into the casting process, and pays special tribute to Tony Plana, who was instrumental in adding depth to Manny’s characterisation beyond Schafer’s original vision. He still has that rogue element, still out for himself, but like the best of the reluctants just trying to get by, he’s a hammer just waiting for a nail to present itself.Īll of the characters are brought to life through wonderful voice-acting, and it’s the director’s commentary (new to the remaster) that reveals particular actors were sought ought to bring their respective characters to life. The main character has a level of sophistication that’s reminiscent of the silver screen, and even in his sometimes buffoonery, he’s never crass or classless. The brilliance of it encourages exploration, and rather than locking desired content away, every well-written line feels like a reward. It’s the sort of game you want to explore – not merely solving the puzzles that block the way for you and Manny, but also to learn more about the characters, to hear their dialogue, and to revel in the humour that was so endemic to the Lucasarts take on the Adventure Game experience. The setting, the characters, and the way each element coalesces to result in an entity that approaches timelessness. It has all of those qualities I tend to write about in a game, and yet it’s the experiences I feel most compelled to mention. While most games will highlight those involved with game development as producer, designer or the ubiquitous developer, it’s almost strange to see Schafer credited as Writer and Director, but that only serves to reinforce Grim’s film quality. It’s always the player, as Manny, that does things. Grim Fandango: Remastered has an interesting energy about it – at times as much a film as it is a game, though never lacking in interactivity. The remaster was executed by Double Fine Productions, the studio behind Psychonauts and Brütal Legend and of perhaps more relevance, helmed by Schafer himself. Written and Directed by Tim Schafer, Grim was something special. It was the last great adventure game put out by the studio, followed in genre only by the mostly forgettable Escape from Monkey Island. That was Grim Fandango, the noirish tale of Manny Calavera, a lowly salesman with the Department of Death, peddling travel packages to the recently deceased. In the dying days of the Golden Age of Adventure Games, genre stalwarts Lucasarts released a daring game that strode into the still-novel waters of three-dimensional gaming. ![]()
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