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Grim Fandango
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Grim Fandango was the first LucasArts adventure game to not use the SCUMM scripting language. Instead, it used an engine called GrimE (Grim Edit), which was based upon the LUA open source scripting language. The game follows Manny Calavara, a grim reaper for the Department of Death in the Land of the Dead. He learns that the system he works for is corrupt, after a woman who led a great life, Mercades (Meche) Colomar, doesn't get to go straight to the seventh level of the afterlife, the land of eternal rest. Manny must take a four year journey to find out who's behind the corruption, find Meche, and earn himself a place in the land of eternal rest.
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Grim Fandango is one of the best epic tales of adventuredom, and for that alone should not be missed. The concept is original, the setting is exotic, Manny is a wonderful character, and there's a strong plot driving relevant play. And that play is good, too -- not just the individual challenges, but the overall structure of those challenges, how they connect with each other. If it wasn't for the clumsy, obnoxious interface, Grim Fandango would be a main contender for best adventure game ever.
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In a day where three-dimensional, first person gaming platforms are prevalent, Grim Fandango stands as a true testament to the origins of Graphical Adventure/RPG games. The spatial backgrounds and foregrounds create a nice mix between flat screen graphics and the currently predominant FMVs. As you move perspectively backward or forward, your size grows or shrinks proportionately. Your character is made to walk in any unblocked direction, being modeled as a three-dimensional character. The artwork helps to display the Mexican folklore themes in the game, with each scene and character emblematic of the ancient Aztec 'Day of the Dead' celebration. And even though most of the characters in the story are skeletons in a suit, it's still easy to distinguish the good and the bad, by means of the mid 40's style caricatures shaping the players.
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Grim Fandango follows the exploits of Manny Calavera, who has a highly specialized, though low-tech job in the Land of the Dead. Manny is a Grim Reaper. He "reaps" dead souls, and then tries to sell them the best equipment they can afford for making their way to the legendary Ninth Underworld. Manny is stuck in this job in order to pay off a mysterious unnamed debt he somehow incurred in his past life.
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Grim Fandango's world is based on Aztec beliefs of afterlife, where departed souls, represented in the game as [C]alaca-like figures, must travel the Land of the Dead before their reach their final destination, the Ninth Underworld. Manny Calavera, a travel agent for the recently departed, is surprised to find that a new soul, that of the good-hearted Mercedes Colomar, is denied a ride on the fast "Number Nine" train that would have taken her directly to the Underworld, and instead forced to make her travel on foot for four years before she can reach there. Investigating further, Manny discovers that there is corruption in the system, and ... begins a journey to follow Mercedes and to make sure she is rightfully given her proper due. The game incorporates many elements of film noir in addition to imagery and concepts from Aztec mythology.
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The virtual world of Grim Fandango is actually quite limited, with few locations. This helps the game move quickly, but fails to impress the player with a sense of "place" the way that Cyan does so well with its Myst series. The more interesting places are blocked off and skipped through. For instance, at one point the characters are deep plummet to the bottom of the ocean's depths. However, movement is restricted to a small, lit area (The Longest Journey handled the underwater locations much better). Despite some interesting backgrounds and well-done scenery, much of Grim Fandango feels cramped and claustrophobic--a feeling greatly amplified by the "OMG they didn't!"
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Grim Fandango