Many will be disappointed to know that Grim Fandango Remastered is a ‘remaster’ in the most technical sense of the word. Ah, but this is where Double Fine has done the populace a massive solid and swooped in! Grim Fandango Remastered brings the classic back to PC, PS4 and Vita for old fans to enjoy once again, although whether it can attract a new audience remains to be seen. It’s also been one that’s been difficult to get a hold of, and to get running on modern systems, for new generations of gamers. With an exceptional team of creatives working together at the tail end of LucasArts’ golden age of adventure games in the late 90’s, it’s fondly remembered as one of the greatest examples of the genre. Despite its age (and its slew of technical issues), Grim Fandango Remastered is still a journey worth taking - but as someone who absolutely adores the original, I can't help but feel that it deserves better.As Tim Schafer himself notes in the game’s commentary, Grim Fandango is something that could only have been made at one specific moment in gaming history. And it's a reminder that once upon a time, LucasArts was the king of style. It's a prime example of how video game stories aren't totally bullshit how they can be filled with layers of nuance and actual character development. It's a shame, because Grim Fandango is an otherwise fantastic experience. Each one required me to reboot my game - and without auto-saves in a time when most people have come to expect them, many bugs can potentially set you back several hours.There were many times where I felt like Grim Fandango's code was hanging together by a tenuous, skeletal thread. One time I clipped through a door and couldn't get back out another time, I gave an item to someone who then began to spin around in place for the rest of eternity. Sound effects frequently cut in and out, weird lighting issues cause certain objects to blink incessantly, and cutscene transitions can be especially jarring. And there's no auto-saving whatsoever, meaning if you don't take time to save your game often, you could find yourself reeling from a show-stopping bug.Īnd boy, are there bugs. The widescreen option awkwardly stretches everything to fill the screen, meaning that the original 4:3 aspect ratio is really the only way to play properly. There's no hint guide (a feature available in both Monkey Island remasters), so if you get stuck, it's off to the internet with you. This makes Grim Fandango feel much more cinematic, but the lack of any on-screen prompts or tutorial will confuse the crap out of new players as they try to figure out how to make Manny interact with the world. Like the original release, there's no user interface to speak of. Unfortunately, the added control options are the only modern concessions made to bring Grim Fandango to a new generation of players. While maneuvering around the underworld never feels completely natural, having a variety of options at your fingertips certainly helps. I found myself opting for the modern controller input, and tapping the Vita screen whenever Manny obstinately decided he didn't want to look at the important thing he needed to progress. In addition to the tank controls from the original release (where you rotate and walk in the same manner as the first few Resident Evils), you also get a more conventional directional input on controllers, as well as point-and-click input on PC and touch input on Vita. I only wish Double Fine included the Remastered making-of documentary videos (which are freely available on YouTube) to complete the package.ĭespite the seeming lack of actual, y'know, remastering done to this remastered edition, the new features Double Fine added are certainly welcome. Hearing them wax nostalgic about inspirations taken from films like The Big Sleep or the troubles with writing proper door code are fascinating to anyone who loves Grim Fandango, or simply wants to learn more about the design process. These brief snippets feature director Tim Schafer, composer Pete McConnell, and a bunch of artists and programmers chatting about different aspects of Grim Fandango's development. The Remastered edition also includes a fancy commentary track that you can activate in specific areas with a quick tap of a button (as long as you enable it in the options menu).
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