Something is rotten in the Land of the Dead. Grim Fandango Remastered brings back Tim Schafer's celebrated 1998 adventure, the story of Manny Calavera, a travel agent for the Department of Death who sells eternal-rest packages to newly departed souls and slowly uncovers a conspiracy that robs the virtuous of their reward. Repainted, relit and rescored with a full live orchestra, it is the adventure fans remember, ready for a new generation of players.
Four Years in the Life (or Death) of Manny Calavera
Manny works the reaping beat out of El Marrow, scraping by on clients whose lives earned them little more than a walking stick and a four-year hike across the underworld. When he finally lands a soul who deserves a ticket on the Number Nine, the express train to eternal rest, the system somehow says otherwise. That soul is Mercedes "Meche" Colomar, and Manny's attempt to set things right sends him on a journey spanning four years, from the Petrified Forest to the bustling port town of Rubacava, out across the sea and toward the edge of the world, chasing her and the truth behind the Department's corruption.
A Cast Worth Following
- Manny Calavera
- A dapper, silver-tongued reaper with a weakness for lost causes. Manny begins as a salesman trying to hold on to his job and grows into a reluctant hero, carrying the story with dry wit and surprising heart.
- Glottis
- A huge orange demon summoned from the earth to drive, Glottis is Manny's loyal friend and mechanic. His boundless enthusiasm for fast cars, music and a good party makes him one of the most loved sidekicks in adventure gaming.
- Mercedes "Meche" Colomar
- The soul Manny is certain deserves the Number Nine, and the one the system mysteriously shortchanges. Her fate drives the whole journey and gives the story its quietly romantic core.
- Hector LeMans
- The gangster at the center of the underworld's corruption, running his rackets from the shadows while honest souls pay the price. Untangling his schemes is what turns Manny's search into something much bigger.
Film Noir Meets the Day of the Dead
Grim Fandango's look and tone are unlike anything else in the genre. Its characters are drawn from the calaca skeleton figures of Mexican Day of the Dead tradition, then set loose in a world of Art Deco towers, smoky nightclubs and rain-slicked docks lifted straight from 1940s film noir. The dialogue crackles with hard-boiled banter and dark humor, the puzzles reward lateral thinking in the best adventure-game tradition, and Peter McConnell's jazz, swing and Latin-flavored score ties it all together.
What the Remaster Brings
The remaster has been tuned to look, sound and control even better than the award-winning original, and it adds a few things longtime fans will appreciate:
- Repainted, hi-res character textures sharpen Manny, Glottis and the rest of the cast, bringing out details in the hand-crafted designs that the original release could only hint at.
- New, dynamic lighting gives the characters and their surroundings a richer sense of depth and atmosphere, from smoky interiors to long noir shadows.
- A re-recorded score performed by a full live orchestra gives the classic soundtrack a fuller, warmer sound while keeping the themes fans have hummed for years.
- Over 2 hours of exclusive developer commentary lets the creators share stories, inspirations and behind-the-scenes history as you work through the adventure.
- A concept art browser opens up the sketches and paintings behind the game's characters and locations, a treat for anyone who has ever stopped to admire its design.
Why It Still Matters
When it first launched, Grim Fandango won GameSpot's Game of the Year award, and its reputation has only grown since. It was LucasArts' first fully 3D adventure, a bold leap that paired cinematic storytelling with some of the sharpest writing the genre has seen. Double Fine Productions, the studio Tim Schafer founded, brought it back with the help of Shiny Shoe, giving a true classic the care it deserves.
So straighten your tie, let Glottis fire up the Bone Wagon, and step into the Land of the Dead. Manny has a four-year journey ahead of him, and he could use some good company along the way.
