izigame.me

This is a pretty painful thumbs down for me to give, because I can see the things that made this game a classic and I adore them. The graphics of the time were perfect to bring these characters to life. The world manages to be equal parts colorful, macabre, and mundane, both visually and thematically. Tony Plana is so likeable as the main character that despite half of his lines being used to tell me I’m using an item in the wrong place, I can’t bring myself to hold it against him. Unfortunately, Grim Fandango contains both a game and a story, and neither of those two elements are terrible, I can’t say that they measure up.
As a game, there are too many little frustrations hampering the experience. The telegraphing is horrible, with important details blending into the background, dialogue that is sometimes helpful but often useless, and multiple instances of the design failing to point in the right direction or misdirecting entirely. The two instances that stick out in my mind is when I had to use a sign that was supposed to point me to a hidden underground entrance but that wouldn’t allow me to use it because I was standing in the wrong place or clicking the wrong hand button, and the other when I didn’t realize I was supposed to pick up a item because it worked while stationary, seemingly indicating it had an environmental effect when that couldn’t be further from its intended use. I admit that I was sometimes a bit too impatient and later found out that I probably could have worked out a few of the puzzles I looked up, so if you have time to kill, you could probably give it a bit more time before cracking open a walkthrough, but you’ll probably be dragging out your session by hours. If you aren’t using a walkthrough, remember to scan screens with your cursor and use your scythe when you’ve run out of options.
As a story, it’s serviceable, with charming elements. I’m somewhat invested in the main character’s journey, but I find it hard to be invested in his goals. The supporting cast is well-acted, but Meche is painfully dull, Glottis can shuttle between amusing and aggravating, and the villains are stock and unintimidating. Then there’s the plotting. The second chapter, which is already frustrating from a gameplay standpoint because of the size of the area, grinds all of the tension and motivation to a halt. Once things pick back up in the middle of the third chapter, the pacing goes from zero to a hundred in a mad dash towards the end game. When it reaches the end, the game hasn’t built enough intrigue, romance, or excitement to pay itself off. It’s not bad, like I said, it’s SERVICEABLE, but it feels incomplete, especially for a game that has not just the reputation of a classic, but bits of the craft to boot.
If you’re interested in these old adventure games and are prepared for their frustrations, I’d definitely recommend checking it out, but I don’t think I can recommend it generally. I’m probably being too picky, too impatient, because it excels in some qualities, and there is a good experience to be had for the right player, but you should really temper your expectations.