Great trip through the realm of the dead

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Nobody knows what awaits us after death. Many are afraid of the unknown and are looking for answers – for example, by turning to the beliefs of their religion. Is there a heaven, a hell? Or will we be reborn? So far, at least no one has returned who could credibly tell us the truth…








Designer legend Tim Schafer published a possible answer to the questions 25 years ago in the form of Grim Fandango. According to the adventure, we embark on a journey that takes us from this world to the hereafter. How long it lasts depends on our performance in our lives.

Ideally, a “good” person who has done little wrong is entitled to a number nine ticket. This means the journey to the final resting place takes just four minutes. A “bad” person, on the other hand, sometimes needs four years – and has to endure that long in an in-between world that is frighteningly similar to ours.

All of this sounded like heavy fare in 1998, which could have already been a harbinger of the game’s commercial failure. A remarkably unattractive game cover, which only showed the angular and exaggeratedly grinning skeletal faces of some characters, turned out to be just as unhelpful.




Last but not least, adventures were already somewhat frowned upon at the time, which is why developer Lucas Arts was carried away with a new type of user interface that was ultimately well received by very few players.

Instead of a classic point-and-click mechanic, the creators opted for the so-called tank control, as was common in many action adventures in the 1990s, see for example Alone in the Dark (1992) or Resident Evil (1996 ).

Ergo, you controlled your character with the cursor keys and could only rotate it very slowly around its own axis. Lucas Arts wanted to appeal to a larger target group in this way, but only alienated their own fans.

With all the problems, the question arises: What was so great about Grim Fandango? The answer lay in the brilliant story, the brilliantly written characters, the crazy humor and a handful of puzzle highlights.

For me personally, in the end it was enough for second place as my personal favorite games of 1998 – ahead of other classics like Half-Life or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and only narrowly beaten by Metal Gear Solid.


Manny Calavera explains to his customer that he cannot simply begin his journey into the afterlife. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [1/13]

The player can request a knotted balloon in various shapes from this clown, some of which he/she also needs to solve the puzzles. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [2/13]

No graphical error: Tim Schafer’s interpretation of how the dead perceive the world of the living seriously rivals any fever dream. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [3/13]

In the 2015 remastered version, Manny looks much more vivid and detailed. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [4/13]

Glottis is a large, bizarre demon who is more like a child in mentality and despite this becomes Manny’s closest ally. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [5/13]

Viva the revolution! Even in the realm of the dead there is a group of rebels who conspire against the corrupt machinations of the rich and would sacrifice their own lives to do so. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [6/13]

A typical scene from Grim Fandango: While Glottis is desperately hanging on to a wildly rotating machine, Manny has to destroy it and block the hoses on the floor with a wheelbarrow at just the right moment. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [7/13]

Instead of an inventory screen, Manny reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulls out all the objects he is currently carrying. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [8/13]

The majority of the residents of Grim Fandango are unscrupulous crooks who have gotten used to their existence in the in-between world and, just like in real life, want to make as much profit as possible. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [9/13]

Perhaps the cleverest puzzle in the entire game only requires good observation skills and a bit of courage to try out unusual ideas – like blocking an elevator with the help of a forklift. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [10/13]

Blooming flowers: What brought joy during life turns out to be a destructive weapon in the realm of the dead. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [11/13]

In the third year of his journey, Manny ends up in the deepest ocean trench and, among other things, has to outsmart a giant octopus in order to move forward. (Image: Double Fine Productions / Screenshot: Plassma media agency) [12/13]

The retail version of Grim Fandango was delivered in an A4 cardboard box, but was otherwise rather sparsely equipped. It only consisted of a small set of instructions and a plain CD case including a data carrier. (Image: Plasma agency) [13/13]


In contrast to other Lucas Arts classics, I have only played through Grim Fandango completely twice: first shortly after the original was released and again a whopping 17 years later in the form of Grim Fandango Remastered (test from 2015 on Golem.de). It’s high time to complete the triple!

Capitalism in the afterlife

For technical reasons, to celebrate the 25th birthday, I will choose the new edition that Tim Schafer himself produced with his current studio, Double Fine Productions. The original version can only be run on today’s Windows computers with a lot of effort.



Video: Grim Fandango Remastered in graphics comparison (Intro)
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Fortunately, Grim Fandango Remastered is identical in content to the original and primarily benefits from a higher resolution and alternative controls. I will also play the adventure in German because the dubbed voices are among the best of their kind. Some even claim that they are better than the English original – an absolute rarity in the gaming industry.

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