Journey into the Land of the Dead (Grim Fandango (PC))

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Product:	Grim Fandango (PC)
Date:	04/12/00 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: its good

Disadvantages: thus not a bad game

Grim Fandango is one of the most anticipated adventure games to come along in recent memory. Boasting support for Direct3D, and a unique setting based on Mayan and Aztec images, Mexican folklore and Film Noir, expectations were high. Given that LucasArts, a company with a long-standing tradition for producing great adventures, is the company behind this one, its not surprising that they would deliver us another hit.

You are Manny Calavera, the Grim Reaper. Your mission: to pick up souls from the Land of the Living and to provide them with an appropriate travel package for their four year journey through the Land of the Dead. Good souls will be put on the fast track to their final resting place, the ninth underworld. Others will have to brave the Land of the Dead by other methods of transportation.

On one fateful day Manny clues in that something about his job at the Department of Death (DOD) is amiss. A premium client, Mercedes Colomar is cheated out of her reward and disappears from his office. Thus begins his four year journey where he must solve this mystery, confront the evil Hector Lemans and his cronies, and gain the love of one Mercedes Colomar.

Grim Fandango is populated with dozens of colorful denizens ranging from demons, to bees, to beatniks. Each is given a rich set of dialogue and a distinct, if not cliched personality (remember, this is Film Noir!) Your sidekick and personal mechanic is a big bumbling demon by the name of Glottis. Through the course of his travels, Manny will meet a variety of travelling souls, some of whom have become quite accustomed to life in the Land of the Dead. Believe it or not, one can still "die" in the Land of the Dead, sort of. "Sprouting" someone is the process of turning their skeletons into floral arrangements. Money also seems to drive some of these characters, and many have the same vices as the living do. In other word, these characters are a delight to talk to.


Grim Fandango supports input from the keyboard and joystick controller only. There is no mouse support. A departure from most adventure games, there is no control menu in Grim Fandango, thus reducing the need to point and click at things on screen. Nevertheless, controlling Manny was fairly easy. Four buttons plus your directional keys could get you through the game. Manny keeps everything in his coat, and accessing items was simple. The inventory system takes a page from 3D action games. Items in inventory are accessible using the number keys (0-9), or can be called up and scrolled through at the push of a button.

In the 3D environment I found it easy to figure out what parts of the scene were interactive. When Manny approaches something that you can talk to, use or pick up, his head tilts in the appropriate direction. Some items were placed too close together, but other than that it saved me the time I would normally spend trying to find sensitive areas on the screen. There were some areas or scenes where I found it difficult to move around. For example, moving around in the bonewagon (your souped up car) was like exploring your fenced in backyard (with trees!) using a Buick Skylark. While not on par with the freedom of motion in a 3D action shooter, the interface did make it possible for a deeper exploration of the game environment.

The puzzles in Grim Fandango range from the basic (figuring out which item to use where), to spatial puzzles, to some real brain stumpers. You have to pay close attention to the characters you talk to and make use of the dialogue recorder because the solutions are nestled within the story as should they be. Most of the challenges fit well with the story, with only a few feeling contrived.

All-in-all the game includes a good mix of puzzles that will keep the average gamer busy for hours upon hours. A few keeners may fly through this game, but who would want to? Even though I found myself stumped on many occas
ions throughout the game, I never really got frustrated. The environment and character interaction was rich enough to keep my interest until a solution came to mind or presented itself to me.

The graphics in Grim Fandango are a combination of 3D characters and masterfully created backdrops. Each skeletal character is given unique graphical features. Demons are very colorful and fellow souls are decked out in clothing appropriate to their environment. A nice touch is the way the characters interact with others and the world around them. The backdrops provide a 3D scene that Manny can explore. Throughout the game you will come across many interesting settings that show off some real creativity by the artists who worked on this game. As good as all this looks in regular software rendered mode, it looks much better with 3D acceleration - the graphics become much smoother and brighter.

In addition to the great visuals, the music and character voices make for some great listening. Grim Fandango makes use of the LucasArts proprietary iMuse music engine, which allows for the user's actions to influence the music with seamless transitions. This is used in almost every scene where music further enhances the atmosphere very effectively. Selections range from some jazzy tunes to some more traditional guitar pieces.

The character voices are well done and garner your interest in that character's role in the story. Some of the performances are little bit over the top, Glottis being the main culprit that comes to mind. Character development is also aided by several cut scenes. These cut scenes help to advance the plot and reward the gamer for savvy puzzle-solving.

This game is one of the coolest adventures to come from the LucasArts factory of adventure games, and that's from a company that has produced some great ones. The visuals, the humor, the music, all kept me entertained throughout my journey through the afterlife. There may be
a few scenes that could frighten very young children, but with such imagery and humour, the Land of the Dead is a delight for all ages

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