Grim Fandango scores 9/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
Grim Fandango, riddles and laughter will bury you!
by Simon Larocca·September 20, 2025
When we talk about the golden age of a genre, we are referring to that particular historical period in which any game (or almost any game) belonging to that type managed in some way to carve out a niche for itself, making itself known and, if everything went well, also receiving a bit of love from its fans.
Tanta water has passed under the bridges since an aspiring pirate tried in every way to save his beloved from a zombie buccaneer, and immeasurable sidereal distances (actually we’re talking about decades, anyway a nice stretch of time, right?) from the glories of tentacled alien creatures that infested space-time with their superintelligence, but as far as Graphic Adventures are concerned, the pride and joy of anyone who has ever had a passion for video games, there is only one title capable of connecting past and present and bringing nostalgic evenings to mind filled with jazz music and brain-busting puzzles: yes, I’m talking about Grim Fandango, of course.
It is 1998, when the game is released for PC and the protagonist’s skeletal face, inspired by Day of the Dead masks, and his bureaucrat clothes stand out on the cover of the physical boxes on store shelves.
The bizarre adventures of Manny Calavera are set in the afterlife imagined by Tim Schafer, a well-known figure in the industry who, if you just search for him on the internet, worked on other milestones such as Full Throttle, perhaps one of my favorites along with Maniac Mansion, but let’s not digress.
On the Day of the Dead mentioned in a ton of comics, books, films, and even a moving animated movie called Coco, Grim Fandango tells us the story of an agent of the Department of Death. But right from the start, the first stroke of genius tied to the protagonist becomes clear: not a reaper with a scythe and black robes, but an employee in the post-mortem machine, tasked with selling travel packages to newly departed souls so that they can reach, more or less easily depending on the type of package they choose, the true afterlife: the so-called Ninth Underworld.
Why ninth, you ask.
The reason is rooted in Aztec mythology, which calls for as many as eight stages of the Land of the Dead to cross, before reaching the final one that in other cultures might be associated with Nirvana, or our “Empyrean”: Manny Calavera knows his job and he is not short of motivation, only by paying off his debt will he too finally be able to reach his… eternal retirement.
The game skillfully blends deep and philosophical themes such as acceptance of the final stop, death itself, with its farewells and the gradual loss of humanity for something else, dealing with very “earthly” issues such as corruption, scams and even exploitation, all seasoned with intoxicating doses of humor and hilarious situations, as well as an almost perfect screenplay in every chapter of the game.
Grim Fandango captured players’ hearts not only for its intricate plot, but also for the technical innovations it boasted, effectively becoming the artistic testament of the 1990s point-and-click genre: the 3D graphics engine replaced the classic “2D drawing,” plunging the player into an interactive universe where Manny could interact with objects and the surrounding environment directly, without the help of the “player’s hand,” that is, the pointer of a mouse.
Torn back to life (I’m a whiz with wordplay) recently thanks to the inevitable relaunch operation with a console remaster, Grim Fandango brings with it a blend of music, design, and style that will take your breath away and at that point, well… Manny will certainly have the travel package that’s right for you.
9
Pro
A complex adventure full of surprises, the puzzles will keep you glued for hours trying to rack your brains, and exploring the Land of the Dead is an experience every player must have once in a lifetime (in gaming terms, of course!)
Well-written dialogue, well-characterized main and supporting characters: Manny Calavera deserves a special mention and will win you over hour after hour
The music! The music! The music!
Contro
The difficulty level of the puzzles mainly affects longevity for casual players or those not inclined toward the genre: in this case, the level of challenge that Grim Fandango offers is generally high.
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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