As mentioned earlier, I was one of the lucky ones who managed to get this game through purchasing it from a store shelf. And once again this was one of those games that carried with it a huge amount of expectation: Best adventure game EVAH, the last great Adventure game LucasArts made, a flop that didn’t sell enough due to everyone else playing FPS shooters at the time. And once again this was a game that possessed enough mythical qualities that it threatened to overshadow the game itself.
So what did I think of it?
If anything it was a surprise.
It’s been established before that I’ve never latched onto the fifth generation/late nineties period of gaming. Having grown up with the previous generations, I found a lot to dislike about the then current generation: I thought the graphics looked hideous, the 3d worlds looked boring and restrictive and was puzzled as to how the actual gameplay would work. Of course in the years since, my view has softened and I’ve found much to enjoy from that period of gaming history – yet the issues I had at the time still resonate.
And it’s those issues that may have influenced my experience with Grim Fandango. And having spent last summer playing a lot of LucasArts adventures, the first impressions with Grim Fandango weren’t pretty. Some of the character models looked weird, the mouse interface was sorely missed, the use of the keyboard was problematic and the transitions from cutscene to gameplay were painfully obvious.
Nevertheless I pressed ahead and, as I went on, I found a lot to admire about Grim Fandango. True I may have issues with the gameplay but there was indeed strength within the story that the game wanted to tell. It’s kinda funny how people these days grumble about games being too much story and not enough game but this is one case where the story is more than enough to save whatever failings the gameplay may have (To the Moon anyone?).
One thing I really got out of the story is how it really feels like conveys the sense of time and how it really looks like it’s playing out across four years of a character’s life (ironic when the character in question is DEAD). It was fascinating to see Manny go through various careers and display a wide range of ambitions. Actually now I think of it, one really does get a sense of identity being conveyed throughout the game both in finding and utilization – that may have been intentional but personally I’d rather state the obvious than miss something by a country mile. And personally I’d rather have any game trying to say something to its audience any day of the week.
So yes, the story is indeed a strong one in Grim Fandango so what about the rest of it? I love the design and art direction throughout the game (the brief foray into the world of the living is a hoot). The various references to Casablanca are great and I will admit I even developed an attachment to Glotis.
Is all of it enough for me to ignore the gameplay issues? Yes I think so.
Mind you, playing Grim Fandango with the hindsight that it’s the last shining moment of the adventure game genre does indeed present an interesting perspective. Indeed, one gets the idea that this was the final peak – it delivered on so many levels that there wasn’t really much left for the genre to say. Thus perhaps it wasn’t surprising that the adventure game more or less died in the wake of Grim Fandango – indeed nothing that has followed since has really reached the peaks LucasArts achieved (okay maybe Time Gentlemen Please but even that was commentary on the genre).
Still even if Grim Fandango was the end point for the adventure game genre it certainly was a grand way to bow out.
So yeah: Grim Fandango is awesome. It may not have been a big hit but to me playing it is akin to being admitted to a secret club where no one else knows of it and it’s all yours to enjoy.
And no one can take that away from you.
