Grim Fandango Remastered

 Switch
Grim Fandango Remastered Image
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 35 Ratings

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  • Summary: Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from aSomething's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.

    One of the most acclaimed adventure games of all time is now back, better than ever. Grim Fandango's epic story of four years in the life (or death) of Manny Calavera, travel agent to the dead, has been remastered to look, sound, and control even better than when it won GameSpot's Game of the Year award upon its original launch. Grim Fandango still stands as a classic of the genre, with unforgettable characters and unique combination of film noir and Mexican folklore.
    Remastered version includes:
    -Repainted, hi-res character textures
    -New, dynamic lighting
    -Classic score re-recorded with a full live orchestra
    -Over 2 hours of exclusive developer commentary
    -Concept art browser    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Nintendojo
    Jan 9, 2019
    91
    It’s a methodical adventure through the Land of the Dead, which means that those without the wherewithal to sit and become ensconced in Manny’s world might have trouble sticking through to the end. For those willing to invest in this layered, meaty adventure, however, Grim Fandango Remastered is as relevant and fun as ever. Indeed, the fact that games like this are still the exception speaks volumes about the lack of progress the industry has seen in terms of diversifying the types of experiences that are available to fans. If you never had the chance to play Grim Fandango when it first released or are due for a return visit, give Remastered a download.
  2. Nintendo Life
    Nov 16, 2018
    90
    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.
  3. NintendoWorldReport
    Nov 15, 2018
    80
    Despite the issues I have with it, Grim Fandango is a fantastic adventure game full of the snappy, witty charm that LucasArts is known for, complete with a stellar atmosphere and great cast of characters. It could have used a couple of enhancements, but Grim Fandango Remastered is a fine port of Manny Calavera’s escapades.
  4. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 28, 2019
    80
    It may be showing its age, but hey, if age isn't a concern for the dead, it needn't be for you either! [Issue #39 – May/June 2019, p. 22]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. FNintendo
    Jan 22, 2019
    80
    Grim Fandango Remastered delivers exactly what it promises: a remaster of the noir comedy classic, with all the elements that made it an iconic name in the gaming world. Featuring improvements that bring the game closer to the current generation while keeping its overall structure exactly where it has always been, Grim Fandango Remastered is a very good option for newcomers and veterans, even if the former may find some of the puzzles unclear at first.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7
  1. TheOnlineGamer
    Sep 29, 2020
    10
    The greatest adventure game ever made. Grim Fandango still lives up to this day as one of the funniest, most creative, charming, enthrallingThe greatest adventure game ever made. Grim Fandango still lives up to this day as one of the funniest, most creative, charming, enthralling storytelling experiences in video game history and the switch port is the most comfortable and perfect way to enjoy the experience!

    Long live Manny and the brilliant, classic LucasArts Adventure Game Era!    … Expand
  2. Mastereed
    Apr 27, 2023
    9
    A MORTAL MASTERPIECE

    BEFORE WE BEGIN: Grim Fandango Remastered was originally developed by LucasArts, remastered and financed by Double    A MORTAL MASTERPIECE

    BEFORE WE BEGIN:
    Grim Fandango Remastered was originally developed by LucasArts, remastered and financed by Double Fine, and released in 2015. It brings back several noteworthy graphical improvements from the original title dating back to 1998.
    The game is 100% complete in its pc version.

    DEAD, UNDEAD:
    The introduction to the game's plot is extremely straightforward and crystal clear. The superb quality of art direction that this title has to offer is already underscored by the extremely creative LucasArts and Double Fine logos alone, which always take the style of the reference game and change from time to time. Thanks to the introductory cutscene, the player is immediately able to understand everything that revolves around the protagonist Manny Calavera, a death travel agent dedicated to earning enough to reach the ninth afterlife. As soon as the movie ends, the player finds himself with a fresh assignment to fulfill and can begin his work immediately. The first thing that jumps out at you, or rather, that does not jump out at you is the lack of a HUD, this is because throughout the game it will be the player's job to unearth the interacting objects, making the adventure more interactive and surprising.

    PURSUING DEATH:
    The game gameplay is that of a typical early 2000s graphic adventure, with a focus by the developers to move away from what was the usual point-and-click of that era. The Remastered version then made it possible to use the mouse, which was originally blocked. As mentioned above, one of the main features of Grim Fandango is that it does not have any always-on HUD. Like other graphic adventures, there is an inventory of possessed objects and a menu of interactions with objects set up on the map, but unlike other LucasArts titles it is not possible to join possessed objects together. The additional mother feature is, of course, the puzzles. They are varied and almost always require the ingenuity of the player. Some of them, however, rely far too much on dialogue between the various characters. This becomes a problem given the inability to listen to some of them several times, making the solution of the riddles almost impossible to understand and causing them to expire at a mere use of all available options. This forces the player to wander the map in search of often nonexistent solutions. The game plot turns out to be extremely varied. It spans four years where Manny will accomplish various tasks, with numerous intrigues to be solved, both work-related and emotional.

    DEADLY GOOD:
    Grim Fandango's graphics, whether original or remastered, are certainly one of its focal points. It still manages to be stunning to this day, with extremely detailed and inspired models. Thanks to meticulous techniques put in place by the development team, many of the models turn out to be well-defined and far superior to those out there. The atmosphere that the art in this game manages to create is unmatched, with styles of Mexican folklore combined with the noire of mystery movies. Of course, the animations belong to that era and have remained untouched in its remastered version, so as not to spoil the authors' original tone. Moreover, the variety of environments, always different throughout the journey, grants a style that is always original and never predictable. The conception of the style and the studies that led to its development are noticeable from the minuteness of the details ranging from the backgrounds to the characters' expressions, from their characterization to the interwoven and branching story; all of which led to the creation of this majestic composition.

    THE NINTH NOTE:
    The music side perfectly accompanies what was described in the chapter above. The extremely inspired soundtrack goes to perfectly enhance every environment and scene in the game, as well as catalyze the setting of the noir style. Finally, an incredibly noteworthy point is that of the voice acting, which is excellent in its English language but reaches one of its highest peaks ever seen in a video game in its Italian version, which takes advantage of the numerous presence of dialects to give additional characterization to the characters.

    BUT WHY 9?

    PROS:
    Grim Fandango is for sure one of those games that once played is hard to forget. The number of positive points is staggering. It is certain that it remains a unique product of its kind but more importantly a game that borders on narrative and illustrative perfection.

    CONS:
    The real negative point is added by the remastering of the game, which, while adding a myriad of technical and graphical fixes, goes on to create a variety of bugs that are capable of completely breaking the game. Between those that delete game saves, those that completely lock the player out, and those that create amusing graphical glitches, it is almost impossible not to encounter any of them.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 8
    Music: 9,5
    Story: 10
    Puzzle: 8
    _    … Expand
  4. apa-sl
    Mar 16, 2019
    8
    Great story and climax. It is a pity that great games after +10 years usually get slightly forgotten whereas movies are being watched over andGreat story and climax. It is a pity that great games after +10 years usually get slightly forgotten whereas movies are being watched over and over. Grim Fandango deserves to be remembered! Technically it is 4/5 for today's standards. I had 2 moment where due to '90 3d mechanics I had to try several times to solve puzzles despite my idea for the solution being correct. Pity that they have lost source files and could not pump up 3d models, re-render backgrounds & cut-scenes as it would be AWESOME. Nevertheless once again - if you like a good story in an adventure game, this one has one of the best ones with great humor. It took something in between 5 & 10 great hours to beat.… Expand
  5. bergcamp101
    Sep 2, 2020
    7
    Nice game in point and click collection. The main thing here is charming atmosphere, for sure.
  6. DinoBeam
    Oct 30, 2021
    2
    The puzzles are way way too random, illogical, convoluted. At first I was really digging the art style, writing, and atmosphere, then I gotThe puzzles are way way too random, illogical, convoluted. At first I was really digging the art style, writing, and atmosphere, then I got really stuck after trying everything I could think of. I looked up what to do online, and it was just such random ridiculous stuff there were no clues for, there was no "Aha!" moment.… Expand
  7. duke_dobo
    Sep 16, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the reasons of this genre of the past to go into oblivion is the fact that in this game you need to guess the developers logic and usually there is very little or none explanation whatsoever why you need to do certain things in certain order other than developers vision.Like the rotating sign into the forest. Or sometimes you got the right idea but you can’t execute it properly due to gameplay reasons and the game doesn’t point you that you are in the right direction. Modern titles in this genre seek logic and you can rely on it. This old one should stay in the past.… Expand
  8. bnan_j
    Jul 17, 2023
    1
    Will make your eyes bleed, graphics are horrendous. Sure, back then its cutting edge but not decades after. Gameplay is the usualWill make your eyes bleed, graphics are horrendous. Sure, back then its cutting edge but not decades after. Gameplay is the usual Telltale-style, but less fun and presentation is bland. Only a classic because of how old it is, not because its one of the best in its genre.… Expand