Grim Fandango Remastered Reviews
Adventure games have always been tough to get into; they're mind-bending puzzles that many people don't have the patience for. This remaster, though, reminds us what was great about them without making us walk over hot coals to get there.
It's clear to see Grim Fandango was a great game in its day with superb characterisation and humour shining through. Getting through its logic-defying puzzles though is like staying in hell for a few days.
After seventeen long years, Grim Fandango finally makes its console debut on the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. This is a remastered port of one of the best point & click adventures of all time, and the Tim Schafer classic hasn't missed a beat. It's overflowing with fascinating characters and a story full of twists and turns. No matter if you're new to the Land of the Dead or a returning visitor, Grim Fandango Remastered is a must-play.
Grim Fandango is undoubtedly one of the greatest adventure games ever made, and, a few niggles aside, this remaster does its legacy justice. The occasionally obtuse puzzles do date the game in some ways, but the plot and setting is as refreshing as ever. If you're yearning for something a little different, then a trip to the Underworld may be what you need – just make sure that you get a good package.
Grim Fandango represents the pinnacle of 90s adventure games and is arguably the finest videogame noir created to date. This remastered edition stays largely faithful to the source material, preserving it in digital form with some worthwhile extras and tasteful improvements.
Unfortunately the gameplay aspects of Grim Fandango have not aged gracefully. Even saying poorly is being kind. Yet the world, the characters and stories it contains are still top shelf. Go for the adventure, stick around for the laughs.
We're not going to make any bones about it, Grim Fandango was one of the greatest adventure games to come out of LucasArts' doors, and the Remastered version was never going to change that. Double Fine has played it safe with this revival, tweaking it only in ways that were necessary to usher it into the 21st century for fans old and new to cherish.
I want to recommend it, but the technical issues not only hampered my enjoyment of the game, at a certain point they completely prevented me from playing it. The core game is fun, but I would recommend sticking with one platform throughout and rotating save slots.
Even with its lack of that graphical "wow" factor, Grim Fandango Remastered is able to become a classic yet again, this time for a whole new generation of gamers. Whether you're a returning fan, or someone new to the adventure genre, Grim Fandango is a must-play experience.
The fact you've been able to play Grim Fandango Remastered on your TV and in handheld form elsewhere for years doesn't matter one bit, because this gem of a game is still as enchanting and evocative as it was the first time you popped open that oversized cardboard box back in PC in 1998. Here and now on Nintendo Switch, this port looks and runs noticeably smoother than its fellow portable versions thanks to Double Fine's deft adjustments, so if whether you've already joined Manny on his afterlife odyssey or this is your first time among the dead, Switch is 100 percent better for its inclusion.
I've been hammering away on the keyboard without writing anything positive for quite a few paragraphs, so I feel that it's necessary to emphasise that I do genuinely love Grim Fandango, and I think you should play it. Again, if you already have. It's loaded with some of the best adventure game one liners; a gripping, winding plot that only slips up three quarters of the way through the game, and then improves drastically afterward; and a vibrant, bizarre world that, for all its weirdness, is extremely easy to get attached to. It's just not a very impressive remaster.
Some might wish for more visual enhancements or fixes for the original game's biggest flaws, but this HD restoration of Grim Fandango only underlines what a fantastic, beautifully written and gorgeously designed game it is. It's clearly a product of its time, yet like its movie inspirations it hasn't faded with time. It was one of the best graphic adventure games then, and it's still one of the finest now.
Grim Fandango Remastered is a marvelous throwback to the original classic, now improved with visual and sound upgrades, as well as with a series of extra options that smooth its arrival in the current generation. While this is not a remake of the original, it won't be difficult for more recent players to see why this is such a cherished name in the world of gaming, thanks to its delightful mix of noir comedy, grim elements and addictive plot.
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Whether you're a long-time fan wanting to revel in the nostalgia, or somebody who missed it the first time round – pick up Grim Fandango and delight in this prime example of adventure games at their peak. Its got a lot of heart – and it deserves yours.
Call me selective, but I wanted the comedy without the tedium which broke the cinematic effect. Perhaps this inability to fawningly linger over "Grim Fandango's" highly static environments is a product of time. Regardless, the bony truth is that our lives sometimes intersect with games at inopportune moments.
Grim Fandango manages to feel fresh in a crowded gaming market. Its bright colors, foreboding setting, and compelling story kept drawing me back. When every side character comes alive with personality, that's when you know the writing is good and the game has staying power. On top of that, you drive around in a car called the Bone Wagon. Who knew the afterlife could be so much fun?
Like watching a classic old movie, Grim Fandango Remastered feels like a hearkening back to the golden days of gaming, when PC adventure games ruled and games didn't have difficulty settings so easy that it seems like the game is playing itself. This is as much a history lesson as it is entertainment, lest we forget the roots of great gaming. Sure, the backgrounds and cutscenes are untouched, but remember the fit everyone threw when they edited the original Star Wars trilogy too much (Han shot first…)? Grim Fandango Remastered has been put together with care as a passion project from Tim Schafer, and is sure to delight both players new to the game and long time players of Grim Fandango and the LucasArts graphic puzzle adventure genre. Perhaps most important to this release will be the potential effects that bringing this game back into the limelight will have on the future development of adventure titles, and the thought of a merging of great classics and new technology really excites me.
Grim Fandango Remastered makes a terrific game widely-available once again, but more could have been done to update this returning classic.
If you enjoy a well written story, great characters, excellent voice acting and music and interesting (possibly time consuming) puzzles, this game is a great pick up for both veterans and newcomers alike.
"Grim Fandango Remastered" is a great opportunity to introduce a new generation of gamers to this timeless classic. It still plays like it came out recently, and the story remains unlike anything out there even after nearly 17 years. Pay the $14.99 and see how influential it is to many of today's popular games.