A dance with the dead.
Still, this being a Tim Schafer game, the Grim Reapers are really salesman trying to flog travel packages to their new clients. It's a mark of Schafer's genius that he can turn an age-old cliché of reapers and death into something innately human. And the entire game, despite the bizarre setting, feels strangely believable. The stark styling aside, Grim Fandango is a very human story. It touches on corruption, love and the need for redemption. Its cast, led by protagonist Manny Calavera, is beautifully realised. You'll invest your time in the hero's shoes because, despite his appearance, he seems as real as you or I.
There's plenty to sni[g]ger at too. Schafer has long been known for his comic-timing and offbeat humour. At one point, Manny comments: "My scythe… I like to keep it next to where my heart used to be." It's not so much what he says rather than the way he says it that makes Fandango's dialogue shine. Because if there's one thing that you can take away from the game, it's that deadpan humour and a heavy dose of cynicism endure long after your body has died.
Grim Fandango should be no stranger to long-time followers of the industry. It was, quite simply, a critical success. Bestowed with numerous awards, journalists recognized that it was a shining example of storytelling done well, the first adventure game since the early '90s to really nail the crux of the genre. Sadly, the glowing praise didn't translate into sales and it was a commercial failure, largely due to a little known game called Half-Life appearing around the same time.
More than ten years on, has time been kind to this gem? Visually, not so much. If truth be told it isn't a particularly good looking game anymore. In fact, it isn't nice looking at all. Rendered in full 3D it shuns the typical point-and click in favour of a keyboard control system that, though cumbersome at first, works quite well. But it's the jagged textures and low resolution that jar most. This is a game predating the new millennium and it shows. Yet, the art deco touches and bizarre oddities that litter the Land of the Dead are as endearing as they were back in 1998. Moreover, the story hasn't lost an ounce of its charm, and herein lies its longevity.
Manny, once the king salesman at the Department of Death, has fallen on hard times. He has a debt he needs to pay off and when he stumbles upon a star client, he's sure he has his ticket to freedom. You see, the Land of the Dead is only the stop-off point in a much longer journey. Upon dying, your body is scythed and you're brought into this world of papier-mâché faces: but the final stop is the Ninth Underworld where eternal rest beckons. On foot, it's a four year trek, but saints back in the Land of the Living (the real world) get a ticket on the Number Nine, an express train that completes the journey in four minutes.
Manny's ticket out of his humdrum routine lies with Mercedes Colomar (Meche for short). Yet, for reasons he's not able to fathom, Meche's clean past is of no consequence. He's forced to send her away on foot and finds himself stuck in the same old rut. Unsurprisingly, there are answers to be had. Slowly picking your way through the labyrinth of puzzles, you'll uncover the truth. A grand scheme is at work, one that has Manny's freedom at stake.
The story takes place over four years and the scope of the game is impressive. Each year unfolds in a distinct location. El Marrow introduces the sights: festivities are at large as the dead are celebrated. A disgruntled clown fashions intricate animals out of balloons, Glottis the crazed mechanic shows off his hot-rod, and the mood is quirky, oft-comical. From here, the game takes a darker turn. Successfully navigating the foreboding stretch of the Petrified Forest is a palpable relief, for flying spiders and flaming beavers hinder your progress.
However, it's in the second year, in the city of Rubacava, that Grim Fandango really hits its stride. Here the film noir inspirations take a front seat. The lighting is low-key, the atmosphere is thick. Manny traverses a city of the night. There are gambling spots, a morgue and even a tattoo parlour. It's a change of pace that perfectly suits the story. It shifts the tone of the game, ups the stakes. Meche is nearby, but not quite within Manny's grasp. It's also in Rubacava that Grim Fandango seems most at home. Not only is it the longest stretch of the game but it's also the most moody and atmospheric. While year three and four are good, Rubacava is the best setting, and also home to the best puzzles.
Ah, the puzzles. The game cleverly forgoes pixel-hunting by having Manny turn his head when he walks past an object of interest. It's a subtle, yet brilliant design choice that alleviates the frustration of waving your mouse aimlessly across the screen in search of a clue. Unlike some other adventure games from yesteryear, you're never killed off either. While Manny is, admittedly, already dead, it's nice to know that you can experiment with the world without fear of a game-over screen. For an adventure game it's also very fair. There's almost always a puzzle you can undertake. If you're stuck it's because you're overlooking something. The riddles are often ingenious, running the gamut of both straightforward and maddeningly difficult. Those that resort to a walkthrough are doing so through fault of their own, rather than that of the designer's. In essence, Grim Fandango sets the standard all adventure games should strive for: puzzles that, while taxing, are never unfair.
Though you'll occasionally curse Manny for getting caught in doorways and being a cumbersome fellow to control, his off-hand comments and general outlook on the world win through. Much can be gleaned from other characters too, and you'll spend a good deal of your time in one conversation or another. The voice-acting is superb. Rubacava resident Carla has a lazy southern drawl, Glottis sounds appropriately manic and Manny… well he's best of all.
And that's just the thing. Manny makes the story. He's as likeable as protagonists get. Though never laugh-out loud funny, his demeanour is so endearing that you'll fight for him until the end. Stretching a good twenty hours or so of gameplay – far shorter if you cheat, of course – Grim Fandango is an unforgettable ride. It's a story that will live with you long after the credits roll. Whether you finish it a dozen times or more, it's guaranteed that you'll still find something new to laugh about when you jump back in. There are so many touches and intricate details to admire that you only wish Schafer had the inner workings of his brain on display for all to see.