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{{infobox VG | image = Grim Fandango artwork.jpg | caption = <small>Cover artwork for ''Grim Fandango'', displaying several of the game's central characters</small> | developer = [[LucasArts]] | publisher = LucasArts | designer = [[Tim Schafer]] | composer = [[Peter McConnell]] | engine = [[GrimE]] <small>(visual)</small><br />[[iMUSE]] <small>(audio)</small> | released = October 30, 1998<ref name="sfgate review"/> | version = 1.01 <small>(December 15, 1998)</small> | genre = [[Graphic adventure game|Graphic adventure]] | modes = [[Single-player]] | ratings = {{vgratings|ELSPA=11+||ESRB=T|PEGI=12+}} | platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]] | media = [[CD-ROM]] (2) | requirements = * 133 [[Hertz|MHz]] [[Central processing unit|processor]] * 32 [[Megabyte|MB]] [[Random access memory|RAM]] * 30 MB [[hard disk drive|hard disk]] space * 4 MB [[video card]] | input = [[Keyboard (computing)|Keyboard]] or [[joystick]] }} '''''Grim Fandango''''' is a personal computer game in the [[graphic adventure]] genre released by [[LucasArts]] in 1998 and primarily written by [[Tim Schafer]]. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use [[3D computer graphics]] overlaid on [[Rendering (computer graphics)|pre-rendered]], static backgrounds. As with other [[LucasArts adventure games]], the player must converse with other characters and examine, collect, and use objects correctly to solve puzzles in order to progress. ''Grim Fandango'''s world combines elements of the [[Aztec]] belief of [[afterlife]] with style aspects of ''[[film noir]]'', including ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'', ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' and ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'', to create the Land of the Dead, through which recently departed souls, represented in the game as ''[[calaca]]''-like figures, must travel before they reach their final destination, the Ninth Underworld. The story follows travel agent Manuel "Manny" Calavera as he attempts to save Mercedes "Meche" Colomar, a newly arrived but virtuous soul, during her long journey. The game received positive reviews, praising its artistic design and overall game direction in particular. ''Grim Fandango'' was selected for several gaming awards at the time of release, and is often listed in publishers' lists of top games of all time. However, the game was considered a commercial failure and factored into LucasArts' termination of their adventure game development, contributing to the decline of the adventure game genre. == Gameplay == ''Grim Fandango'' is an [[adventure game]], in which the player controls Manuel "Manny" Calavera ('[[calavera]]' being [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for 'skull') as he follows Mercedes "Meche" Colomar in the Underworld. The game uses the [[GrimE]] engine, pre-rendering static backgrounds from [[3D model]]s, while the main objects and characters are animated in [[3D computer graphics|3D]].<ref name="bwire080997" /> The player controls Manny's movements and actions with a [[keyboard (computing)|keyboard]], a [[joystick]], or a [[gamepad]]. Manny must collect objects that can be used with either other collectible objects, parts of the scenery, or with other people in the Land of the Dead in order to solve [[puzzle]]s and progress in the game. Unlike the earlier 2D LucasArts games, the player is informed of objects or persons of interest not by text floating on the screen when the player passes a cursor over them, but instead by the fact that Manny will turn his head towards that object or person as he walks by.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Manny can engage in dialogue with other characters through [[conversation tree]]s to gain hints of what needs to be done to solve the puzzles or to progress the plot.<ref name="manual">{{cite book | title = Grim Fandango Instruction Manual | publisher = [[LucasArts]] | year = 1998}}</ref> As in most LucasArts adventure games, the player can never get into a "dead-end" situation, due to the death of the character or another limitation, from which progress is impossible.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-48.html | title = The Greatest Games of All Time: Day of the Tentacle | publisher =[[GameSpot]] | date = 2004-04-30 | accessdate = 2008-03-13}}</ref> == Synopsis == === Setting === ''Grim Fandango'' takes place in the Land of the Dead, where recently departed souls make their way to the Ninth Underworld. For sinners, this is a four-year journey made on foot, and many do not complete it, being eaten, "sprouted," or ending up taking jobs at way-points along the route. However, more virtuous souls receive assistance, the most virtuous getting passage on the "Number Nine" train ("Double N") that cuts the journey down to four minutes.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1997 | quote = '''Celso''': The Number Nine?<br/>'''Manny''': That's our top of the line express train. It shoots straight to the Ninth Underworld, the land of eternal rest in four minutes instead of four years.}}</ref> The travel agents of the Department of Death act as the [[Grim Reaper]] to escort the souls from the mortal world to the Land of the Dead, and then determine which mode of transport the soul has merited. Each year, on November 2, there is a large festival celebration of the [[Day of the Dead]].<ref name="manual"/><ref name="Schafer design diary"/> The souls in the Land of the Dead appear as skeletal ''calaca'' figures.<ref name="Schafer design diary"/> Alongside them are demons that have been summoned to help with the more mundane tasks of day-to-day life, such as auto maintenance. The souls themselves can suffer death-within-death by being "sprouted," the result of being shot with "sproutella"-filled darts that cause flowers to grow out through the bones.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> Many of the characters are [[Mexican]] and occasional [[Spanish language|Spanish]] words are interspersed into the [[English language|English]] dialog, resulting in [[Spanglish]].<ref name="sfgate review"/> Many of the characters smoke, following a film noir tradition;<ref name="manual"/> the manual asks players to consider that every smoker in the game is dead.<ref name="manual"/> === Plot === [[File:Catrina-sculpture.jpg|thumb|right|100px|alt=A photograph of a sculpture of a skeletal figure in a brightly-colored, feminine outfit and hat.|The characters in ''Grim Fandango'' are based on Mexican ''[[calaca]]'' figures used to celebrate the [[Day of the Dead]].]] The game is divided into four acts, each taking place on November 2 on four consecutive years.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/grim_gg/ | title = Grim Fandango Game Guide | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | first = Wyatt | last = Shaker | accessdate = 2008-03-13}}</ref> Manuel "Manny" Calavera is a travel agent at the Department of Death in the city of El Marrow, forced into his job to work off a debt "to the powers that be".<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Manny''': Oh I can't leave here till I've worked off a little debt to the powers that be.}}</ref> Manny is frustrated with being assigned clients that must take the four-year journey and is threatened to be fired by his boss, Don Copal, if he doesn't come up with better clients. Manny steals a client, Mercedes "Meche" Colomar, from his co-worker Domino Hurley. The Department computers assign Meche to the four-year journey even though Manny believes she should have a guaranteed spot on the "Number Nine" luxury express train due to her pureness of heart in her life.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Manny''': Meche. I can see it in your face. And in your file here, where it says you're entitled to a first-class ticket to... ...nowhere? WHAT?!<br/>'''Meche''': Did I do something wrong?<br/> '''Manny''': Not according to your bio! It was spotless! ...at least the part I read was.}}</ref> After setting Meche on her way, Manny investigates further and finds that Domino and Don have been rigging the system to deny many clients Double N tickets, hoarding them for the boss of the criminal underworld, Hector LeMans. LeMans then sells the tickets at an exorbitant price to those that can afford it. Manny recognizes that he cannot stop Hector at present and instead, with the help of his driver and speed demon Glottis, he tries to find Meche on her journey in the nearby Petrified Forest. During the trip Manny encounters Salvador "Sal" Limones, the leader of the small underground organization Lost Souls Alliance (LSA), who is aware of Hector's plans and recruits Manny to help.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Salvador''': I was once a reaper like yourself Manuel, but I uncovered a web of corruption in our beloved Department of Death. I have reason to believe that the Bureau of Acquisitions is cheating the very souls it was charted to serve. I think someone is robbing these poor naive souls of their rightful destinies, leaving them no option but to march on a treacherous trail of tears, unprotected and alone, like babies, Manuel, like babies.}}</ref> Manny arrives at the small port city of Rubacava and finds that he has beaten Meche there, and waits for her to show up. [[File:Grim-fandango-cast.jpg|left|thumb|The cast of ''Grim Fandango''. In front center are Domino, Meche, Manny, and Sal. Glottis is in the upper left and Hector is on the far right. The game's creator, Tim Schafer, is in the bottom-left corner.|alt=A compute image of approximately 40 characters, most skeletal figures with a few large, cartoonish characters, arranged on a series of steps, posing for the photograph; one figure is of a human face imposed onto the character.]] A year passes, and the city of Rubacava has grown, Manny now running his own nightclub near the edge of the Forest. Manny learns from Olivia Ofrenda that Don has been "sprouted" for letting the scandal be known and that Meche was recently seen with Domino leaving the port. Manny gives chase and a year later tracks them to a coral mining plant on the Edge of the World. Domino has been holding Meche there as a trap to lure Manny.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Meche''': You were headed for a trap, I was trying to warn you. Domino was using me like bait. I didn't want you to end up a prisoner here like me.}}</ref> All of Domino's clients who had their tickets stolen are also being held there and used as slave labor, both to make a profit with the coral mining and as a way to keep Hector's scandal quiet. Domino tries to convince Manny to take over his position in the plant seeing as he has no alternative and can spend the rest of eternity with Meche but he refuses. After rescuing Meche, Manny defeats Domino by causing him to fall into a rock crusher. Manny, along with Meche, Glottis and all the souls being held at the plant then escape from the Edge of the World. The three travel for another year until they reach the terminus for the Number Nine train before the Ninth Underworld. Unfortunately, the Gate Keeper to the Ninth Underworld won't let the souls progress without their tickets, mistakenly believing they have sold them. Meanwhile, Glottis has fallen deathly ill. Manny learns from demons stationed at the terminus that the only way to revive Glottis is to travel at high speeds to restore Glottis' purpose for being summoned. Manny and the others devise a makeshift fuel source to create a "rocket" train cart, quickly taking Manny and Meche back to Rubacava and saving Glottis' life.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Mechanics''': We shoot you now like an arrow into the wind. May you pierce the heart of the wind itself, and drink the blood of flight. Speed is the food of the great Glottis. Speed bring you life. Come back to us some day.}}</ref> The three return to El Marrow, now found to be fully in Hector's control and renamed as Nuevo Marrow. Manny regroups with Sal and his expanded LSA and with the help of Olivia he is able to learn about Hector's current activities.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Salvador''': So Manuel Calavera, we meet again. I am glad to see you have found what you were looking for. It is fortunate that you should arrive just now, as we, too, are about to achieve great success. Our army has grown, and right now our top agents are in Hector's weapon lab, about to close in on the enemy in his own den. I couldn't have done it without you, Manuel.}}</ref> Further investigation reveals that Hector not only has been hoarding the Number Nine tickets, but has created counterfeit versions that he has sold to others.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Meche''': It's all the Double-N tickets Hector and Dom have stolen over the years. Each one stolen from a good soul, and now they just... ...sit there.<br/>'''Manny''': That's it<br/> '''Meche''': What?<br/> '''Manny''': They just sit there! That's what's been bothering me! In the days when I was a hot salesman, I used to see Double-N tickets all the time... ...and they move!<br/> '''Meche''': What do you mean, they move?<br/> '''Manny''': They become agitated around human souls, and the ticket that belongs to you will actually fly into your hand. But these tickets, and the tickets in that suitcase of Charlie's, it's like they're... ...dead. Why would Hector and Domino be hoarding cases of counterfeit Double-N tickets?}}</ref> Manny tries to confront Hector but is lured into another trap by Olivia, who has also captured Sal, and is taken to Hector's greenhouse to be sprouted. Manny is able to defeat Hector after Sal sacrifices himself to prevent Olivia from interfering. Manny and Meche are able to find the real Double N tickets, including the one that Meche should have received. Manny makes sure the rest of the tickets are given to their rightful owners; in turn, he is granted his own for his good deeds.<ref>{{cite video game|title = Grim Fandango | developer = LucasArts | year = 1998 | quote = '''Meche''': You can count them if you want. They're all here. <br/> '''Gate Keeper''': What about yours? <br/> '''Manny''': The company gave me one on the other end; sort of a retirement present.}}</ref> Together, Manny and Meche board the Number Nine for their happy journey to the Ninth Underworld. == Development == [[File:Tim Schafer Art Futura 2009.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Tim Schafer]] was the designer and writer for ''Grim Fandango''.|alt=A middle aged Caucasian man with dark hair speaks from a lecturn.]] ''Grim Fandango'' was designed by [[Tim Schafer]], co-designer of ''[[Day of the Tentacle]]'' and creator of ''[[Full Throttle (1995 video game)|Full Throttle]]'' and the more recent ''[[Psychonauts]]'' and ''[[BrΓΌtal Legend]]''. Schafer had begun work on the game soon after completing ''Full Throttle'' in mid-{{vgy|1995}}.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> ''Grim Fandango'' was an attempt by LucasArts to rejuvenate the graphic adventure genre, in decline by 1998.<ref name="gamasutra lifecycle">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070515/cook_01.shtml | title = The Circle of Life: An Analysis of the Game Product Lifecycle | first = Daniel | last = Cook | date = 2007-05-07 | accessdate = 2008-03-03 | publisher = [[Gamasutra]]}}</ref><ref name="salon future of gaming"/> It was the first LucasArts adventure since ''[[Labyrinth: The Computer Game|Labyrinth]]'' not to use the [[SCUMM]] engine, instead using the [[Sith (engine)|Sith]] engine, pioneered by ''[[Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II]]'', as the basis of the new [[GrimE]] engine.<ref>{{cite web | first = Bret | last = Mogilefsky | url = http://www.grimfandango.net/?page=articles&pagenumber=2 | title = Lua in Grim Fandango | publisher = Grim Fandango Network | accessdate = 2008-03-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19990813/droidworks_01.htm | title = Postmortem: LucasLearning's Star Wars DroidWorks | date = 1999-08-13 | author = Blossom, Jon and Michaud, Collette | publisher = [[Gamasutra]] | accessdate = 2008-03-17}}</ref> The GrimE engine was built using the scripting language [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]]. This design decision was due to LucasArts programmer Bret Mogilefsky's interest in the language, and is considered one of the first uses of Lua in gaming applications. The game's success led to the language's use in many other games and applications, including ''[[Escape from Monkey Island]]'' and ''[[Baldur's Gate]]''.<ref name="lua gf">{{cite conference | first = Roberto | last = Ierusalimschy | coauthors = de Figueiredo, Luiz Henrique and Celes, Waldemar | title =The Evolution of an Extension Language: A History of Lua | booktitle = Proceedings of V Brazilian Symposium on Programming Languages | year = 2001 | pages = B-14βB-28 | url = http://www.lua.org/history.html | accessdate = 2008-03-17}}</ref> {{Imageframe|width=200|content= Office-concept2.jpg [[File:Office wire.jpg|200px|alt=An image of an office created in a 3D wireframe mesh (white on blue); the office has two windows, a desk, an oval-shaped computer monitor, and additional furniture. The walls and decorations of the furniture have art-deco stylings to them.]] [[File:Office-final.jpg|200px|alt=An image of an office rendered by a computer; the office has two windows, a desk, an oval-shaped computer monitor, and additional furniture. The walls and decorations of the furniture have art-deco stylings to them. A skeletal figure sits in one of the chairs looking to the viewer.]]|caption=Manny's office, from Peter Chan's original concept art (top) to wireframe mesh (middle) to in-game representation (bottom)|align=left}} ''Grim Fandango'' mixed static [[pre-rendered]] background images with 3D characters and objects. Part of this decision was based on how the ''[[calaca]]'' figures would appear in three dimensions.<ref name="pcgamer preview">{{cite news | title = The Everlasting Adventure | publisher = [[PC Gamer]] | date = May 1998 | first = Chris | last = Buxton | accessdate = 2008-03-15 | pages = 48β52}}</ref> There were more than 90 sets and 50 characters in the game to be created and rendered; Manny's character alone comprised 250 [[polygon (computer graphics)|polygon]]s.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> The development team found that by utilizing three-dimensional models to pre-render the backgrounds, they could alter the camera shot to achieve more effective or dramatic angles for certain scenes simply by re-rendering the background, instead of having to have an artist redraw the background for a traditional 2D adventure game.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> The team adapted the engine to allow Manny's head to move separately from his body to make the player aware of important objects nearby.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> The 3D engine also aided in the choreography between the spoken dialog and body and arm movements of the characters.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> Additionally, [[full-motion video]] [[cutscene]]s were incorporated to advance the plot, using the same in-game style for the characters and backgrounds to make them nearly indistinguishable from the actual game.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://gamasutra.com/features/20000103/fmv_01.htm | title = Video in Games: The State of the Industry | date = 2000-01-03 | accessdate =2008-03-13 | author =Waggoner, Ben and York, Halstead | publisher = [[Gamasutra]]}}</ref> The game combines several [[Aztec]] beliefs of the afterlife and underworld with 1930s [[Art Deco]] design motifs and a dark plot reminiscent of the [[film noir]] genre.<ref name="Schaferinterview">{{cite web | first=Celia | last = Pearce | date=2003-03-07 | title= Game Noir β A Conversation with Tim Schafer| url=http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/pearce/ | publisher=International Journal of Computer Game Research | accessdate=2008-03-06}}</ref> The Aztec motifs of the game were influenced by Schafer's decade-long fascination with [[folklore]] and talks with forklorist [[Alan Dundes]], with Schafer recognizing that the four-year journey of the soul in the afterlife would set the stage for an adventure game.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Schafer stated that once he had set on the Afterlife setting: "Then I thought, what role would a person want to play in a Day of the Dead scenario? You'd want to be the grim reaper himself. That's how Manny got his job. Then I imagined him picking up people in the land of the living and bringing them to the land of the dead, like he's really just a glorified limo or taxi driver. So the idea came of Manny having this really mundane job that looks glamorous because he has the robe and the scythe, but really, he's just punching the clock."<ref name="sfgate review"/> The division of the game into four years was a way of breaking the game's overall puzzle into four discrete sections.<ref name="sfgate review"/><ref name="pcgamer preview"/> Each year was divided into several non-linear branches of puzzles that all had to be solved before the player could progress to the next year.<ref name="eurogamer puzzle doc"/> [[File:Grim-fandango-puzzle-layout.png|right|200px|thumb|The team created a puzzle design document in the planning of the game, laying out branching non-linear puzzle paths for the player to solve within the context of each year of the game.|alt=A flow diagram consisting of text boxes connected by arrows; the contents of each box list out the summary of a puzzle that is to be completed before following puzzles can be completed.]] Several film noir movies were inspiration for much of the game's plot and characters. Tim Schafer stated that the true inspiration was drawn from films like ''[[Double Indemnity (film)|Double Indemnity]]'', in which a weak and undistinguished insurance salesman finds himself entangled in a murder plot.<ref name="Schaferinterview"/> The design and early plot are fashioned after films such as ''[[Chinatown (film)|Chinatown]]'' and ''[[Glengarry Glen Ross (film)|Glengarry Glen Ross]]''.<ref name="sfgate review"/><ref name="Schafer design diary">{{cite web | first=Tim | last= Schafer | year=1997 | title =Grim Fandango Design Diaries| url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/fandango_dd/110597/110597_3.html | publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref> Several scenes in ''Grim Fandango'' are directly inspired by the genre's films such as ''The Maltese Falcon'', ''[[The Third Man]]'', ''[[Key Largo (film)|Key Largo]]'', and most notably ''Casablanca'': two characters in the game's second act are directly modeled after the roles played by [[Peter Lorre]] and [[Claude Rains]] in the film.<ref name="bwire080997">{{cite web | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1997_Sept_8/ai_19726667 | title = LucasArts' Grim Fandango Presents a Surreal Tale of Crime, Corruption and Greed in the Land of the Dead; Dramatic New Graphic Adventure from the Creator of Award-Winning Full Throttle Expected to Release in First Half 1998 | publisher = Business Wire | date = 1997-09-08 | accessdate = 2007-12-02}}</ref><ref name="Schaferinterview"/> The main villain, Hector LeMans, was designed to resemble [[Sydney Greenstreet]]'s character of Signor Ferrari from ''Casablanca''.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Visually, the game drew inspiration from various sources: the skeletal character designs were based largely on the ''calaca'' figures used in Mexican Day of the Dead festivities, while the architecture ranged from Art Deco skyscrapers to an Aztec temple.<ref name="Schaferinterview"/> The team turned to LucasArts artist Peter Chan to create the ''calaca'' figures. The art of [[Ed Roth|Ed "Big Daddy" Roth]] was used as inspiration for the designs of the [[hot rod]]s and the demon characters like Glottis.<ref name="sfgate review">{{cite news | publisher = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 1998-10-27 | first = Laura | last = Evenson | title = Fleshing Out an Idea | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1998/10/27/DD89817.DTL&type=printable | accessdate= 2008-03-15}}</ref> The game featured a large cast for voice acting in the game's dialog and cutscenes, employing many [[Latino]] actors to help with the Spanish slang.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Voice actors included [[Tony Plana]] as Manny, [[Maria Canals]] as Meche, [[Alan Blumenfeld]] as Glottis, and [[Jim Ward (voice actor)|Jim Ward]] as Hector. The game's music, a mix of an orchestral score, South American folk music, jazz, swing and big band sounds, was composed at LucasArts by [[Peter McConnell]] and inspired by the likes of [[Duke Ellington]] and [[Benny Goodman]] as well as film composers [[Max Steiner]] and [[Adolph Deutsch]].<ref name="mcconnell music"/> The score featured live musicians that McConnell knew or made contact with in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]'s [[Mission District]], including a [[mariachi]] band.<ref name="mcconnell music">{{cite web| url=http://www.lucasarts.com/products/grim/grim_files.htm| title=Grim Fandango Files| publisher=[[LucasArts]]| archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070214102114/http://www.lucasarts.com/products/grim/grim_files.htm| archivedate=2007-02-14| accessdate=2007-09-17}}</ref> The soundtrack was released as a [[compact disc|CD]] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.amazon.com/Grim-Fandango-Soundtrack-Peter-McConnell/dp/B000J5N2OC/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1206130701&sr=8-12 | title = Grim Fandango Soundtrack | publisher = [[Amazon.com]] | accessdate = 2008-03-21}}</ref> Originally, the game was to be shipped in the first half of {{vgy|1998}} but was delayed;<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> as a result, the game was released on October 30, 1998, the Friday before November 2, the actual date of the Day of the Dead celebration.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Even with the delay, the team had to drop several of the puzzles and characters from the game, including a climactic five-step puzzle against Hector LeMans at the conclusion of the game; Schafer later noted that they would have needed one to two more years to implement their original designs.<ref name="eurogamer puzzle doc">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=283788 | title = Grim Fandango design doc now on net | first = Rob | last = Purchase | date = 2008-11-06 | accessdate = 2008-11-06 | publisher = [[Eurogamer]]}}</ref> Tim Schafer left LucasArts shortly after ''Grim Fandango''{{'}}s release, and created his own company, [[Double Fine Productions]], in {{vgy|2000}} along with many of those involved in the development of ''Grim Fandango''. The company has found similar critical success with their first title, ''Psychonauts''. Schafer has stated that while there is strong interest from fans and that he "would love to go back and spend time with the characters from any game <nowiki>[</nowiki>he{{'}}s<nowiki>]</nowiki> worked on", a sequel to ''Grim Fandango'' or his other previous games is unlikely as "I always want to make something new."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.playboy.com/magazine/features/video-game-blowout/video-game-blowout1.html | title = Geniuses at Play | publisher = [[Playboy]] | accessdate = 2008-03-05 | year = 2008}}</ref> == Reception == {{VG Reviews |AdvGamers = 4.5/5.0<ref name="adventure gamers review">{{cite web | url = http://www.adventuregamers.com/display.php?id=104 | title = Grim Fandango Review | publisher = Adventure Gamers | date = 2002-05-20 | accessdate = 2008-03-04 | first = Heidi | last = Fournier}}</ref> |GameRev = Aβ<ref name="game revolution review">{{cite web|author=Manny|year=1998|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/grim_fandango|title=Dang! I Left My Heart In The Land Of The Living!|publisher=[[Game Revolution]]|accessdate=2008-03-06}}</ref> |GSpot = 9.3/10<ref name="gamespot review">{{cite web|first=Ron | last= Dulin|year=1998|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/grimfandango/review.html|title=Grim Fandango for PC Review|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=2006-01-25}}</ref> |IGN = 9.4/10<ref name="ign review"/> |PCZone = 9.0/10<ref name="pc zone review"/> | |compilation = yes | |MC = 94/100<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/grimfandango?q=grim%20fandango | title = Grim Fandango (pc: 1998) | publisher = [[Metacritic]] | accessdate = 2008-03-04}}</ref> |GR = 93%<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/50544.asp | title = Grim Fandango reviews | publisher = [[Game Rankings]] | accessdate = 2008-03-04}}</ref> }} ''Grim Fandango'' received almost uniformly positive reviews. Critics lauded the art direction in particular, with [[GameSpot]] rating the visual design as "consistently great".<ref name="gamespot review"/> ''[[PC Zone]]'' emphasized the production as a whole calling the direction, costumes, characters, music, and atmosphere expertly done. They also commented the game would make a "superb film".<ref name="pc zone review">{{cite web| first=Steve| last= Hill| date=2001-08-31| url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=3039| title=Grim Fandango| work=[[PC Zone]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]| accessdate=2006-01-25}}</ref> The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' stated "''Grim Fandango'' feels like a wild dance through a cartoonish film-noir adventure. Its wacky characters, seductive puzzle-filled plot and a nearly invisible interface allow players to lose themselves in the game just as cinemagoers might get lost in a movie."<ref name="sfgate review"/> The ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', in naming ''Grim Fandango'' the best game of {{vgy|1998}} along with ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'', complimented the graphics calling them "jaw-dropping" and commented that the game "is full of both dark and light humor."<ref>{{cite news| first = Dwight| last = Silverman| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = 1998-12-15| title = Outstanding in their fields| accessdate = 2008-03-15| url = http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/tech/98/12/18/main.html| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20041210151900/http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/tech/98/12/18/main.html| archivedate = 2004-12-10}}</ref> [[IGN]] summed its review up by saying the game was the "best adventure game" it had ever seen.<ref name="ign review">{{cite web|first=Trent C.|last = Ward|date=1998-11-03|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/153/153100p1.html|title=LucasArts flexes their storytelling muscle in this near-perfect adventure game.|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2008-03-06}}</ref> The game also received criticisms from the media. Several reviewers noted that there were difficulties experienced with the interface, requiring a certain [[learning curve]] to get used to, and selected camera angles for some puzzles were poorly chosen.<ref name="adventure gamers review"/><ref name="gamespot review"/><ref name="ign review"/> The use of elevators in the game was particularly noted as troublesome.<ref name="gamespot review"/><ref name="ign review"/> The review from Adventure Gamers expressed dislike of the soundtrack, and, at times, "found it too heavy and not well suited to the game's theme".<ref name="adventure gamers review"/> A ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' review also noted that the game had continuous and long data loading from the [[CD-ROM]] that interrupted the game and "spoils the fluidity of some sequences and causes niggling delays".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=8331 | title = PC Review: Grim Fandango | first = Stephan | last = Fulljames | date = 2001-08-15 | accessdate = 2008-03-21 | publisher = [[Computer and Video Games]]}}</ref> === Awards === ''Grim Fandango'' won several awards after its release in 1998. ''[[PC Gamer]]'' selected the game as the 1998 "Adventure Game of the Year".<ref>{{cite news | publisher = PC Gamer | date = March 1999 | work = Vol. 6, No. 3 | title = PC Gamer Fifth Annual Awards}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.lucasarts.com/company/about/page5.html | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080507064852/http://www.lucasarts.com/company/about/page5.html | archivedate = 2008-05-07 | title = A Selection of Awards and Accolades for Recent LucasArts Releases | publisher = [[LucasArts]] | accessdate = 2008-03-15}}</ref> The game won [[IGN]]'s "Best Adventure Game of the Year" in 1998,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://pc.ign.com/articles/066/066665p1.html | title = IGNPC's Best of 1998 Awards | date = 1999-01-31 | publisher = IGN | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | author = IGN Staff}}</ref> while GameSpot awarded it their "Best of E3 1998",<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/e398/gri.html | title = GameSpot's Best of E3: Grim Fandango | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 1998}}</ref> "PC Adventure Game of the Year",<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/awards1998/genre2b.html | title = Best and Worst of 1998: Genre Awards | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06}}</ref> "PC Game of the Year",<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/awards1998/gameofyear2.html | title = Best and Worst of 1998: Game of the Year | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 1999}}</ref> "Best PC Graphics for Artistic Design",<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/awards1998/special2.html | title = Best and Worst of 1998: Special Achievement Awards | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 1999}}</ref> and "Best PC Music awards".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/awards1998/special.html | title = Best and Worst of 1998: Special Achievement Awards | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 1999}}</ref> GameSpot named ''Grim Fandango'' its Game of the Year for 1998,<ref name="1up scheffer profile">{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3173509 | title = Tim Schafer Profile | publisher = [[1UP.com|1UP]] | date = 2009-03-30 | accessdate = 2009-04-01 | first = Matt | last = Leone}}</ref> and in the following year included the game in their "Ten Best PC Game Soundtracks"<ref name="gamespot best soundtracks">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page5.html | title = The Ten Best Game Soundtracks | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 2000}}</ref> and was selected as the 10th "Best PC Ending" by their readership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/1.html | title = The Ten Best Readers Endings | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 2000}}</ref> In 1999, ''Grim Fandango'' won "Computer Adventure Game of the Year"<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.interactive.org/awards.php?winners&year=1999 | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080311053829/http://www.interactive.org/awards.php?winners&year=1999 | archivedate = 2008-03-11 | title =2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards | publisher = [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] | accessdate = 2008-03-04 | year = 1999}}</ref> for the {{vgy|1999}} [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. It was also nominated for "Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Art/Graphics", "Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development" and "Outstanding Achievement in Sound and Music" that same year. ''Grim Fandango'' has been included in several publishers' "Top Games" lists well after its release. GameSpot inducted the game into their "Greatest Games of All Time" in {{vgy|2003}} citing, "Ask just about anyone who has played Grim Fandango, and he or she will agree that it's one of the greatest games of all time."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-19.html | title = The Greatest Games of All Time β Grim Fandango | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 2003}}</ref> [[GameSpy]] also added the game to their Hall of Fame in {{vgy|2004}},<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespy.com/articles/505/505156p1.html | title = Hall of Fame: Grim Fandango | first = Justin | last = Leeper | date = 2004-04-10 | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | publisher = [[GameSpy]]}}</ref> further describing it as the seventh "Most Underrated Game of All Time" as of 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25underrated/index20.shtml | title = 25 Most Underrated Games of All Time β Grim Fandango | publisher = [[GameSpy]] | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | year = 2003}}</ref> AdventureGamers listed ''Grim Fandango'' as the seventh "Top Adventure Game of All Time" in 2004.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.adventuregamers.com/display.php?id=186&p=15 | title = Top 20 Adventure Games of All-Time | first = Evan | last = Dickens | publisher = Adventure Gamers | date = 2004-04-02 | accessdate = 2008-03-06}}</ref> In {{vgy|2007}}, [[IGN]] included the game in the "Top 25 PC Games" (as 15th)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://pc.ign.com/articles/772/772285p2.html | title = Top 25 PC Games of All Time | author = Adams, Dan, Butts, Steve, and Onyett, Charles | publisher = IGN | date = 2007-03-16 | accessdate = 2008-03-06}}</ref> and "Top 100 Games of All Time" (at 36th), citing that "LucasArts' second-to-last stab at the classic adventure genre may very well be the most original and brilliant one ever made."<ref name="ign top 100">{{cite web| url = http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_36.html| title = Top 100 Games of All Time| publisher = IGN| year = 2007| accessdate = 2008-03-06}}</ref> ''Grim Fandango'' remained as the 20th in the Top 25 PC Games in IGN's 2009 list.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://pc.ign.com/articles/101/1011624p1.html | title = Top 25 PC Games of All Time | first = Ocampo | last = Jason | coauthors = Butts, Steve; Haynes, Jeff | publisher = IGN | date = 2009-08-06 | accessdate =2009-08-07}}</ref> === Sales and aftermath === ''Grim Fandango'' sales were poor despite the positive reception given to the game.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6199534.html |title=EA CEO talks game-killing, Legend brutalizing |first=Tom |last=Magrino |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |date=2008-10-16 |accessdate=2008-10-17}}</ref> Initial estimates suggested that the game sold well during the {{vgy|1998}} holiday season.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.smartmoney.com/email/index.cfm?emailcontent=/consumer/index.cfm?story=199812082 | title = Tech Gifts of the Season | first= Joshua | last = Albertson | publisher = Smart Money | date = 1998-12-08 | accessdate = 2008-03-15}}</ref> However, the game only sold about 95,000 copies up through 2003 in North America, excluding online sales, based on data provided by PC Data (now owned by [[NPD Group]]).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.justadventure.com/articles/Not_Playing/Part_4.shtm | title = (Not) Playing the Game, Part 4 | first = Randy | last = Sluganski | publisher = Just Adventure | accessdate = 2007-12-02}}</ref> Total cumulative worldwide sales are estimated between 100,000 and 500,000 units.<ref name="escapist 10 years"/> The game is commonly considered a "commercial failure",<ref>{{cite web | url = http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/01/04/y2k.game.idg/index.html | title = Y2K the game, appropriately enough, is a dud | publisher = CNN | accessdate = 2008-03-13 | date = 2000-01-04 | first = Barry | last = Brenasal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gameology.org/node/636 | title = Review: LucasArts' Grim Fandango (1998) | first = Matt | last = Barton | publisher = Gameology | date = 2005-11-05 | accessdate = 2008-03-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/856/856379p1.html | title = The Lives and Deaths of the Interactive Movie | publisher = IGN | date = 2008-03-03 | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | first = Travis | last = Fahs}}</ref> even though LucasArts has stated that "Grim Fandango met domestic expectations and exceeded them worldwide".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamer.nl/doc/5468 | title = "Lucasarts ziet het licht" | language = Dutch | first = Bob | last = Christof | publisher = Gamer.nl | date = 2000-06-26 | accessdate = 2007-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dailyradar.com/news/game_news_3201.html |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20010627012617/http://www.dailyradar.com/news/game_news_3201.html |archivedate= 2001-06-27 | title = "The Future Of LucasArts" | publisher = Daily Radar | date = 2000-05-25 | accessdate = 2008-03-19}} "Although LucasArts, a privately held company, will not release sales figures, a spokesperson expressed confidence in the history and future of LucasArt's{{sic}} original titles. 'The response to the Monkey Island series has been phenomenal,' he said. '[And] Grim Fandango met domestic expectations and exceeded them worldwide.'"</ref> While LucasArts proceeded to produce ''[[Escape from Monkey Island]]'' in {{vgy|2000}}, they canceled development of sequels to ''[[Sam & Max Hit the Road]]''<ref name="sam max cancelled">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/samandmaxfreelancepolice/news.html?sid=6090535 | title = Sam & Max sequel canceled | date = 2003-03-04 | accessdate = 2008-03-21 | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | first = Tor | last = Thorsen}}</ref> and ''[[Full Throttle (1995 video game)|Full Throttle]]''<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/fullthrottle2/news_6073105.html | title = LucasArts cancels Full Throttle | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | first = Sam | last = Parker | date = 2003-07-07 | accessdate = 2008-03-21}}</ref> stating that "After careful evaluation of current market place realities and underlying economic considerations, we've decided that this was not the appropriate time to launch a graphic adventure on the PC."<ref name="sam max cancelled"/> Subsequently, the studio dismissed many of the people involved with their adventure games,<ref name="Edge">{{cite web|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-short-history-lucasarts|title=A Short History of LucasArts|work=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|date=2006-08-26|accessdate=2009-02-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6104775.html|title=LucasArts undergoing "major restructuring"|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|first=Curt|last=Feldman|date=2004-08-13|accessdate=2009-02-02}}</ref> some of whom have since gone to create [[Telltale Games]], creating an [[episodic games|episodic]] series of [[Sam & Max Save the World|''Sam & Max'' games]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=4372 | title = Sam & Max 2 Developers Form New Studio | publisher = [[Gamasutra]] | date = 2004-10-04 | accessdate = 2008-03-21 | first = David | last = Jenkins}}</ref> In {{vgy|2006}} LucasArts stated they do not plan on returning to adventure games until the "next decade".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/11326/LucasArts_at_E3.html | title = LucasArts at E3 | year = 2006 | publisher = [[G4tv.com|G4tv]] | accessdate = 2008-03-03}}</ref> These events, along with other changes in the video game market towards action-based games, are seen as primary causes in the decline of the adventure game genre.<ref name="gamasutra lifecycle"/><ref name="salon future of gaming">{{cite web | url = http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/10/cov_08feature.html | title = Myst And Riven Are A Dead End. The Future Of Computer Gaming Lies In Online, Multiplayer Worlds | publisher = Salon | first = Greg | last = Lindsay | date = 1998-10-08 | accessdate = 2008-03-13}}</ref> ''Grim Fandango'''s underperformance was seen as a sign that the genre was commercially "dead" to rival [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra]], as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-nextlevel.com/feature/adventure-series-part-iii/2 |title=Adventure Series: Part III Feature |publisher=The Next Level |date=2005-11-28 |accessdate=2009-08-13}}</ref> Despite this, ''Grim Fandango'' has been the centerpiece of a large fan community for the game that has continued to be active more than 10 years after the game's release. Such fan communities include the Grim Fandango Network and the Department of Death, both of which include fan art and fiction in addition to other original content.<ref name="escapist 10 years">{{cite web | url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_139/2994-Walk-Don-t-Run | title = Walk, Don't Run | publisher = [[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] | first = Nova | last = Barlow | date = 2008-03-04 | accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref> == References == {{refbegin}} *{{cite web|title=Grim Fandango Puzzle Document|url=http://games.on.net/file/22091/Grim_Fandango_-_Puzzle_Document_PDF|author=Schafer, Tim; Tsacle, Peter; Ingerson, Eric; Mogilefsky, Bret; Chan, Peter|publisher=LucasArts|year=1996}} {{refend}} == Notes == {{reflist|2}} == External links == {{Spoken Wikipedia|EN-GrimFandango.ogg|2008-05-06}} *{{Wikiquote-inline|Grim Fandango}} *[http://grim-fandango.gamepedia.com Grim Fandango wiki] *[http://www.gamespot.com/features/fandango_dd/index.html ''Grim Fandango'' Design Diaries] *[http://www.grim-fandango.com/ Department of Death] *[http://quick.mixnmojo.com/grim-fandango-launcher Improved version of the launcher program] *{{imdb title|id=0177822|name=Grim Fandango}} {{LucasArts adventure games}} {{LucasArts game engines}} {{featured article}} ==See also== *[[w:c:grim-fandango]] [[Category:1998 video games]] [[Category:Adventure games]] [[Category:Art Deco games]] [[Category:Bangsian fantasy]] [[Category:GrimE games]] [[Category:Interactive Achievement Award winners]] [[Category:LucasArts games]] [[Category:Windows games]] [[Category:Residual supported games]] [[Category:Lua-scripted video games]]
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