Grim Fandango is one of the many cult classic games developed by Tim Schafer. Alongside classics like The Secret of Monkey Island, Psychonauts, and Brutal Legend, Grim Fandango is one of the PC adventure games that defined the 1990s. Grim Fandango was developed and published by LucasArts in 1998. The game is set in the Land of the Dead, a retro-futuristic version of the 1950s. The story follows travel agent Manuel “Manny” Calavera as he attempts to save the new arrival Mercedes “Meche” Colomar, a virtuous soul, on her journey. Grim Fandango received praise for its art design and direction. It was selected for several awards and is often listed as one of the greatest video games of all time. Unfortunately, the game didn’t sell well.
©Grim Fandango stair screenshot – License
The Premise Of Grim Fandango
Grim Fandango is an adventure game. The player controls Manny’s movements and actions with their keyboard, a joystick, or a gamepad. The remastered version also allows control via a mouse as well. The player must collect objects that can be used with other collectible objects, parts of the scenery, or with other people in the Land of the Dead to solve puzzles and progress in the game. You can engage in dialogue with other characters through conversation trees to gain hints of what needs to be done to solve the puzzles or to progress the plot. Grim Fandango is unique as it has no fail state, the player can never die or otherwise get into a no-win situation that prevents completion of the game.
©Orange monster and Manuel from Grim Fandango – License
The Main Characters Of Grim Fandango
- Manny Calavera – Manny Calavera is the protagonist. He is a Reaper for the Department of Death in the Land of the Dead.
- Aitor – Elemental spirit of the underworld in charge of restocking the wine in Maximino’s High Roller’s Lounge.
- Bowsley – Botanist for Hector LeMans.
- Carla – Security Guard in Grim Fandango.
- Celso Flores – Manny Calavera’s first client in Grim Fandango.
- Chepito – A lost soul in Grim Fandango who has wandered the bottom of the Sea of Lament for many years.
- Chief Bogen – The dirty cop from Rubacava. Gambles frequently at Manny Calavera’s roulette tables.
- Domino Hurley – Domino is Manny Calavera’s co-worker and nemesis at the Department of Death. He works with Don Copal and Hector LeMans.
- Eva – Eva is Don Copal’s secretary and is an agent for the Lost Souls Alliance.
- Glottis – A demon of the underworld, Glottis is Manny Calavera’s sidekick in Grim Fandango.
- Hector LeMans – The antagonist.
- Lola – A souvenir photographer in Rubacava whose infatuation with Maximino leads to serious trouble.
- Lupe – A hyperactive coat-check girl who works at the Calavera Cafe in Rubacava.
- Maximino – The powerful owner of Rubacava’s only cat-racing track, Feline Meadows, and jealous boyfriend of Olivia Ofrenda.
- Membrillo – Coroner of Rubacava.
- Mercedes Colomar – Mercedes “Meche” Colomar is the leading lady of Grim Fandango. She is assisted by Manny Calavera in getting to the Ninth Underworld.
- Naranja – Cook aboard the the SS Limbo.
- Nick Virago – A resident of Rubacava and personal lawyer of Maximino who spends his nights in the High Rollers Lounge.
- Olivia Ofrenda – The ultra-hip owner of the Blue Casket nightclub in Rubacava.
- Raoul – A snooty French waiter who works at the High Rollers Lounge in Rubacava.
- Salvador Limones – In Grim Fandango, he is the leader of the Lost Souls Alliance. He is also Manny Calavera’s ally in El Marrow/Nueva Marrow.
- Terry Malloy – A Sea Bee dock worker in Grim Fandango and eventual organizer of a Sea Bee labor revolt.
- Toto Santos – Scrimshaw artist and owner of a tattoo parlor in Rubacava.
- Velasco – Dockmaster of Rubacava. Former captain of the SS Lamancha.
Other Titles In The Series
Grim Fandango is not a part of a franchise or a series.
Grim Fandango Cheat Codes
During the game, press enter and the word message will appear. Type in the following:
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| gf noclip | noclip mode |
| gf birds fly | flying mode |
cheat again the words cheat disabled will appear.
Explosive Manny
You can type blam any time you like during gameplay and you will get to watch Manny Calavera explode.
Secrets
Invisible Character Glitch
Save the game during an intermission sequence (for example, when Carlie comes to claim the suitcase from Manny). Load that saved game. Some characters will be invisible, and you can only see the face
of the character when it speaks.
Color Pause With No Characters
Press [F1] to pause gameplay, then press [Alt] + [Tab] to go to the Windows Desktop. Go back to the game and you will notice that the previously black-and-white paused screen will now be in color.
Also, all characters will have disappeared.
Grim Fandango Cheat Code FAQ
Does Grim Fandango have multiple endings? No, it only has one ending.
How do you get rid of Naranja? When Toto and Naranja are both looking away while distracted, use the Turkey Baster on Naranja’s bottle and Naranja is knocked out by the drink. Get his Dog Tags when he’s on the bed. Head to the cat tracks and see Carla at the Security Desk.
What is the difference between Grim Fandango remastered and original? The character models and lighting were upgraded however, the pre-rendered backgrounds and cutscenes are still intact from the original 1998 version.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©gameplay screenshot of grim fandango.