"And Epic Tale of Crime and Corruption in the Land of the Dead"

Grim Fandango is, quite possibly, the best ''point and click'' adventure ever created. The genre, which typically sports games with hilarity and high production values, is practically owned by Lucasarts, who started the first crazy escapade with Maniac Mansion and, later on, Day of the Tentacle. Grim Fandango, however, is to this genre as Final Fantasy 7 is to RPGs. A revolution. A perfect blend of storytelling, graphics, and longevity that leaves the player ultimately surprised at the package received.
Grim Fandango tells the story of Manny Calavera, a salesman at the DOD (Department of the Dead), who tries to get people the best and fastest route to the underworld. You see, death takes a certain number of years before you can finally get to the destination. Manny, unfortunately, must work out his sentence.

Through this, a huge conspiracy is uncovered, and Manny embarks on a voyage of self discovery, with many plot twists and hidden agendas. Ingenious, to say the least.

Graphics

Grim Fandango is a relatively old game, but it handles both 3D and 2D extraordinarily well. The animation is solid, and the gorgeous 2D Art Deco architecture is fantastic. System requirements are almost zilch.

Graphics shouldn't mean much to a gamer, but as an adventure game Grim Fandango must rely on its graphics to move the plot forward. As such, it does a great job.

Sound

Lucasarts handles voice acting like no other game company on the planet. Manny's voice is a perfectly suave slightly-latino blend, and his vocal antics suit his style like his skeleton suits his surroundings. The voices are just unbelievable. But even the sound effects are high quality. The music, too, is top-notch. No complaints here.

Gameplay

Grim Fandango can't escape the fact that its a point and click adventure, but it can work that fact to its advantage. Intricate puzzle solving, oftentimes hilarious in and of itself, helps the game become a true masterpiece. Also, the heavy influence of Latino death-related motifs adds a flair to the gameplay as well.

One complaint that cannot be ignored is occasionally the puzzle solving will be outrageously impossible to figure out without some sort of FAQ. Other than this problem, the game tries to make most of its puzzles simple and obvious. Like I said before, the best ones wind up being intensely hilarious.

Overall

As a game that currently swims around the bargain bin, there's no excuse not to pick it up. Lucasarts created a classic that anyone, of any age, can enjoy. A+

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/03, Updated 07/30/03