A Love Letter to Grim Fandango
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
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Grim Fandango is often called one of the best video games of all time and one of the most important cornerstones in the history of the adventure genre. I agree, so today I want to attempt an explanation of why this subjectively beloved game of mine... is objectively great.
A Love Letter to what I think is Tim Schafer's magnum opus.
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You can buy the magnificent Remastered version on gog.com, Steam and for PS4 and PS Vita.
af.gog.com/gam...
Recommended watch:
Who Shot Guybrush Threepwood by Ian Crosby Danskin
• Who Shot Guybrush Thre...
Main Theme (Love Letter Fugatta) written and performed by:
Robin Bäckrud
/ robinbackrud
Twitter: @RobinBackrud
Día de los Muertos and Manny pencil drawings by:
Amanda Gay Watkins
/ wotkins
Facebook: facebook.ragnar...
Twitter: twitter.ragnarr...
Steam: steam.ragnarrox...
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Movies/TV shows shown in this video
Spectre (2015)
The Book of Life (2014)
Casablanca (1942)
Gilda (1946)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Vertigo (1958)
The Third Man (1949)
The City of Lost Children (1995)
The Making of Star Wars (1977)
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible (2010)
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Sources
Celebration Chronicles by Gabriela Traverso
• The Day of the Dead, M...
Mexican Day of the Dead by The British Museum
• Mexican Day of the Dead
The Making of Grim Fandango Remastered
(Special Edition Extra)
Classic Studio Postmortem: Lucasfilm Games
• Classic Studio Postmor...
The Ultimate Early 80s Arcade Tribute
• The Ultimate Early 80s...
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If you should believe that a work of yours has been used without proper credit, please contact me: mail@ragnarrox.com
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
People thought Glottis was annoying? What!? Who? I want names!
”Heh, stupid octopus”
For me it was very annoying when Glottis was screaming like crazy when he was stuck on his car, making racing noises, so at the beginning of the game I tought i was going to hate him. And yet, I got very sad and worried when Glottis got sick near the end :(, he really grows on you
He's so precious and funny! I love the casino scene where he's all drunk 😂
Indeed, every few years I replay Grim Fandango and I still laugh any time I see Glottis!
"I had no idea you liked gambling so much, Glottis."
"Well, the doctors made me promise I wouldn't do it anymore. BUT THEY CAN'T GET IN THE HIGH ROLLER'S LOUNGE, NOW CAN THEY!?"
"thats not on fire"
"dont want to mess up my blade"
Kristoffer G I still hear this in his voice
‘That is not what balloons are for’
Okay yeah i hated that damn part.
My absolute favorite. A beautiful review of a beautiful game.
Why thank you, that means a lot. :)
I remember hearing you say that it's your favorite adventure game of all time a good while ago publically on the internet.
i know I'm kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good website to watch newly released series online ?
@Ahmad Ronald flixportal :)
@Brayden Mustafa Thanks, signed up and it seems like a nice service :) I appreciate it!!
@Ahmad Ronald happy to help =)
'Anyone can love 'because', but to know the flaws and love 'despite', that is rare and pure and perfect' -- Ragnar, you have written one of the most quotable things of all time. *waves hands* that's your legacy, right there.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Credit where credits is due, I was paraphrasing one of my favorite authors, Patrick Rothfuss. If you enjoyed that, you'll love his novels. :)
OMG, I love you even more now! How I wish you did book reviews I'd want to colab with you if you ever did that serise!
Bad trolling is bad. Grow up.
First you do Vampire the masquerade and now this, you sir just jumped to the top of my must watch list.
Agreed. Subbed.
I arrived here the same way! The video's are really good. The one thing I'm having some trouble with is how often after speaking perfectly normally for a few sentences, he goes into a kind of baby talk. It's a lil distracting
i mean absolutely no offense if it's some sort of speech impediment or otherwise out of his control, btw. just something i can't unhear after noticing it
This channel is kicking all KINDS of ass. Gothic, Vampire and now Grim Fandango. You have excellent taste good sir.
Grim Fandango is ironically one of very few games that really have a soul. After playing it, it stays with you, because there's nothing like it. It's truly unique.
the way you pronounce "El dia de los muertos" is perfect
¡Muchas gracias!
RagnarRox De nada 😊
Very well produced videos, gj man. OMG the nostalgia :D
Yeah, i'm spanish and he really nailed it. But also he was imitating Manny's pronunciation i think...HEEEY VELASSCOOOOOOOOO!!
liddokun2 but the word labyrinth ( lab-yer-inth ? )
That "never-dying" nostalgic attraction you have to Grim Fandango is what makes it such a classic to so may of us too. I remember first playing Fandango back in 1998 at a friend's house. I remember it being the kind of game that I would had never considered buying or even trying based on it's cover. It seemed so odd, even a little freaky at first, but it had a strange attraction to it, a way of making you need to know what happens in the next room , or what the solution to a puzzle was. I would play the game for short periods at first, but eventually I had to go out and buy it (with what little money I had) because it became part of life.
I knew nothing about Mexican day-of-the-dead culture, and I knew even less about 1930's era architecture, but their unholy mix created a world truly unique in it's self. And I think it's that immersion into such a literal and real world that makes the game so great, not so much the puzzles. In fact I always found the puzzles as slightly annoying obstacles that stood in the way of exploring this fascinating world, while at the same time serving as a calibration, slowing you down so you have enough time to actually soak in and enjoy each scene.
The artistic graphics were so astounding, even by today's standards. The mic of culture, with art, technology, and architectures is truly timeless. It was like a harmonic mix of Casablanca, 1984, exploring Aztec ruins and what materialization of what society in the early 20th century might have speculated future technology might be like. I agree with the video author that Rubacava was the ultimate synergy of all these things. Just the physical depth in the world, the way you feel the dizzying heights between different scenes, the deep penetrating rumble of the giant airship, it all just felt so real. Being a CGI artist myself, I have particular appreciation for the level of effort and detail that went into building the 3D scenes and designing the architecture, not just of the buildings but of the experience. Although the computer's at the the time probably wouldn't be able to host a true 3D walk-through of the scenes, just as much effort went into building a one-frame scene than would of gone into building a full 3D game. Although the re-make was a nice visit to this timeless world, I wish the developers could take all that effort that went into the world's creation and bring it to life as full-fledged 3D adventure game, how awesome that would be!
I came here because I just finished replaying the remastered version and, like you, was sad to see it end and wanted some more. Now I am also sad this video ended.
I know I’m late to the party, but I recently “discovered” Grim Fandango when it released on the Switch e-shop and this really hits home for me.
Rubacava’s chapter took me a long time to get through, and I would have found it difficult and slow to get through if I didn’t have such a good time just reveling in the setting and characters. Sure, at a certain point the backtracking became a little tedious, but it was so pretty that it didn’t frustrate me. It’s a beautiful game, and encountering the temple in the final scenes always gives me chills.
If ever there was a video that needed more views, it's this one.
Playing this masterpiece on my teenhood has sent me years later to feel the "dia de los muertos" at Mexico, where I've intensively "lived" it while celebrated my birthday (nov 3rd) as I proposed my wife. So you can imagine how it has emocionally impacted my life (sorry for my bad brazilian english)
high art, this game is high art.
Very good tribute.
I've heard that the creators of Grim Fandango stated that those who were sprouted end up being reborn in the Land of the Living. So you don't know what's worse. Dying and leaving everyone you love behind? Or being Sprouted and end up having to re-live your two lives (Living and Dead) all over again, unable to reach the Ninth Underworld.
The way you pronounce certain passages and words sounds unmistakably like Dr. Evil. Subscribed ^^
Maybe one day I'll have..... _One Million Subscribers!_
*pinky.to.mouth*
Between the moments, the pieces of dialogue, the tracks from the ost and how identified I felt with your experience with the game (and being a slow reader that feels the same way when managing to finish a book or game) I felt chills all throughout the video.
Sadly i only have one sub to give, this video is amazing.
This is the best video on youtube i've ever watched. Tears of joy wander down my cheek. Thank you so much.
Hey ragnar ! I'm addicted to your content (which I hope is a good kind of addiction) keep up the good work and please make more videos about game developing and design 🙏
Ed Kazaragy me too i like ragnar too
I would love a The Longest Journey saga Love Letter video.
;)
RagnarRox Don't you tease me, man.
Don't blame a bird for trying to be a gentleman… gentlebird.
RagnarRox Still waiting for those Crowboy comic books I see.
This Day of the Dead festival is so festive even the dead would surely want to be with.
Another outstanding video, Ragnar. Having only played Grim Fandango for the first time last year at the behest of one of my oldest friends, I get why, after 20 years, he keeps bringing this title up. That "phantom pain" you spoke of at the end really hit hard. I'm already looking forward to your next video. Thanks, again.
this game is absolutely definitely in my top 5 favorite games of all time. I've played this game three times and each time I'm sad because I'll never experience this game for the first time again. truly one of the best stories I've ever experienced.
Because of your reviews, and this review in particular, I re-discovered my love of computer games after about 15 years. I may have been living under a rock, but I didn't know that there *is* point&click adventure game genre at all, and this is precisely what I have always been looking for - story-rich games with creative puzzles, where speed isn't the factor. I watched half of your video, then paused, downloaded Grim Fandango, finished it, and then finished watching your video. And - I couldn't agree with your review more. I've since played and loved other similar games, but Grim Fandango will always the one that opened up a door to a new world to me. Thank you!
p.s. your videos are incredibly enjoyable to watch despite the fact that I'll never play 90% of games you're covering. keep up the good work!
People are so down on Year 3 but I think it brings the most mystery to the game… as you leave the established world of Rubacava, things start becoming strange and fall apart until you barely reach the Temple Gate, which is in my opinion the mystery that makes the rest of the world so compelling…. The entrance to the unknown and what equalises everyone in the Land of the Dead.
Imagine a game like Deus Ex or Thief (immersive sim) set in the cities of Rubacava or El Marrow from Grim Fandango with today's graphics. Just imagine.
The premise sounds mouth watering. But I can't help but feel that the low level of interactivity actually work in favor of bringing the world to life. The way you experience the world in Grim Fandango is through a limited number of backgrounds, through characters talking about their undeaths, through the music. They all work in tandem to energize your imagination, and a lot of the world building comes through the player's own filling-in-the-blanks. It helps that the game is so rooted in other things (Mexican folklore, Noir movies etc) because the player has another mental reference point to draw from. I fear that if you crank up the fidelity, have a fully realized, interactive world like Prague in Mankind Divided that you will get bogged down in the minutiae, your imagination without the space it needs, because even the most detailed world cannot compete with the theater of the mind.
I awkwardly like when you say Spanish words.
Merci!
Jorge Quintero ok
yeah, as a spanish speaker I certify he nails all of them with susprising accuracy, except Salvador's name... it's Limones, but it's not a flaw really
@@JorgeKingtero That was french you fool
pourquoi le francais?
I was recommended the Obduction video on the main page, quickly realized this was a channel for essay(ish) videos, and I find this gem. Grim Fandango IS the best game I have ever played and this video almost brought me to tears.
Dear Ragnar, there are many channels I wish I had the means to support on Patreon and even beyond Patreon, but among them you are the only one I feel 'guilty' of not being able to.
Every video you produce is like an amazing journey.
Simply, thank you.
The most heartbreaking noir story, it has all the best to tell. It's amazing how the game becomes a part of you even without knowing the references.
Don't have words to describe how much I've loved this video.
I felt everything you said was ripped out of my brain
+
The video itself, such an amazing job.
Hey man, now I love you even more. Grim Fandango absolutely deserved a documentation like this. Keep it up! ^^
Love the Patrick Rothfuss quote from the kingkiller series at 27:10. Just after youve talked about books. Brilliant.
You have a wonderful way of wording and explaining things. I find your videos a joy to watch and always feel I discover something new about games I thought I knew well.
This is a remarkable channel.
And I'm glad someone else loves both Manny and Kvothe.
I come back to watch this video every three months or so and i dont know why. Still everytime i watch it I get amazed how beautifuly crafted and produced this video is. I think you deserve a love letter yourself in your achievment on doing a video on the greatest game of all time(in my opinion) better than the actual game!
Absolutely adore your love letter -- thank you for making it!!! You're a great storyteller.
Something that I love about Grim Fandango use of themes is how people that stay un Ruvacaba because they have given up finding eternal rest is somewhat of a parallel with being stagnant in life. The dead hang to what they were in life with their customs instead of going to a better place. Tim mentioned once that being sprouted actually makes people reborn in the land of the living, but the dead don't know this and treat flowers as a symbol of death (but they can't die since they are already dead), instead they treat is as another kind of death when in fact flowers are still a symbol of life and rebirth, making them being trapped forever in a state of "false life", trapped in a state of limbo. Scary.
Now everything that´s missing is "the longest journey" ^^
I agree ;)
Your channel is pure gold.
I'm glad I found it. =)
20:53 this man died the meme was to much for him
i had the same feeling at the end of Little Big Adventure... like i lived in this world for years... and it was hard to quit the game, at the end ! (i was young, it may amplify this feeling, with nostalgie and a feeling of grander scope)
A very odd and very wonderful series!
This was a joy to watch! Impressive scope and ace editing.
I was late to the fiesta when it comes to Grim Fandango. Didn’t play it until a couple years ago in my late twenties. Played other Schafer games before it when I was a kid, but I think GF is easily my favorite of the point-and-clicks. Even without the nostalgia guiding my opinion, (aside from seeing some promotional stuff for it when it initially came out) I think it’s a fantastic game which hits all the marks and more for the adventure genre. Great video!
This looks like exactly what I was looking for. Love these long retrospectives on my childhood favourites. Your whole channel looks amazing, can't wait to check the rest of it out!
Ohh, I'm glad to hear it struck a chord. :)
Oooh new Ragnar vid, and about Grim Fandango!
Was browsing your channel enjoying your horror game vids, and stumbling across a video about my favorite game of all time among them all was such a treat. Thank you!
I recently got this game on sale after remembering your video on it. I just finished it, and I really do feel the void similar to finishing a good book... I'm gonna have to replay it with the dev commentary next time!
Very well documented and well edited video. I never got into the game despite knowing how important its place in video game history is but I'll probably do it now.
Name of the Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind :D
Kvothe is love, Kvothe is life.
RagnarRox Elodin is awesome!!!
Ugh don’t remind me. It breaks my heart every time I remember the third book doesn’t exist, and in all honesty, may never. Name of the Wind is truly my favorite fantasy novel of all time.
I’ve had this ritual since 2015 where every couple years I eat an entire Delissio deluxe pizza to myself and watch this video.
I was a fan of the adventure game genre but never managed to play this game. This is going to the top of the list. Thanks RangnarRox!
Wow, what a beautifully crafted video! AND it's about one of my absolute favourites. Thanks, Ragnar! I guess it's time I played the Remastered Version which has been waiting in my library for quite a while now...
I feel that I never knew that much about Dia De Los Muertos to be able to fully appreciate Grim Fandango. So I was always more partial to Full Throttle myself.
I just knew of Pixar's new movie "Coco", so I went back to watch the whole gameplay of "Grim Fandango", such great memories and cool story! Then I saw this video... LOVE IT!!!
Wonderful Homage!!
I really enjoyed the cultural and lucasarts history, and you were totally on point with your breakdown of the "sad feeling at the end" This is exactly how I felt as well. Wish there were more stories set in this world...
maaaan, now you got me wind up again, we need so much a grim fandago 2.
great video ;)
seeing a new RagnarRox video is like a gift to my subscriptions feed =]
Nobody gonna talk about how the skeleton at 14:55 looks like the Minecraft painting?
almost like a lot of the paintings in minecraft are references to old adventure games
i CANNOT believe how few subs you have.You deserve so much moire, sir. Thank you for the amazing, well made content!
I'm really glad that this is a series.
I need another video from this series in my life.
Yeah, I should really do another Love Letter...
I hope you do more of these soon. I love this video especially
Certainly, and I am mainly just paraphrasing Focault, but non-western and especially pre-modern cultures and societies tend to have a much less binary and obsessive relationship with death. The lines between this life and the afterlife are blurred by spirits and various middlemen between the living and the spirit world, assuaging somewhat the anxieties and fears surrounding the inevitability of death through a sort of socio-cultural therapy to broach the topic early and often and dispel its mystique. Its something we could do with more of in modern western societies, albeit in a more secular way.
I was just thinking yesterday that I missed this channel.
thank you so much for this, it brought a tear to my eye
What happened to your pants?
Herman Toothrot: What pants?!?
Oh, good times with M.I.
After seen some of your videos i feel guilty of not been one of your subscribers...
Until Now :) Keep up to the good work
Then you shall have my absolution. ;)
Welcome Jonathan, and thanks for the kind words!
I disagree, I loved part 3. Chepito may just be the funniest side character we meet, the scuba aesthetic was great and it's also the part where, rather than being basically a helpless observer like for most of the first two chapters, you get to start to really strike back and make a difference whether it's dealing with your longtime adversary Domino, or finally settling things with Meche, or saving some cute (?) children. It even felt liberating to get away from the crowdedness but apparent total indifference of the city.
If there's a weak part to me it's part 4, but thankfully the ending itself is alright.
I love your love letters.
The world needed this video. Thank you!!!
Amazing job! I watched this and vampire the masquerade and having just beaten it, you covered my two favorite games and earned a sub :)
Did not expect this, but I like it a lot.
Teeheehee. That last tiny clip with the car xD
My favorite game of all time. I was so disappointed as slowly adventure, games, or no longer on the shelves. But before they totally disappeared, I had quite a collection of different ones. I eventually gave them away as new computers couldn’t handle the old stuff. Sad, really.
Impressive as always
...your love letter brought a tear to my eyes...
First VTM and then this. You have really good taste.
Oh man, you can't go on posting one video per month. They are too good to be like this. I must have watched the last one at least 15 times...
I'd love to upload more often, but I literally spent every free minute of the last 5 weeks on this video.
All of this! All of this! So much happy!
all of your videos are amazing
I also read the books the same way and Grim Fandango left me with lump in throath and with feeling of sadnes, uknown to come and the end of great trip.
words cannot describe how much I fucking love this game... no .. masterpiece.
One of my favorite pc experiences of my youth
Magnum opus indeed. The best video game ever made and one that truly shows that video games are an art form. I remember how much of a commercial flop it was at the time, no doubt too far ahead of the curve. Now it seems more popular than ever.
Took me 2 years to finish this game... always played little here and there... I actually love it... very, very underrated
By the way speaking of tradition , Grim Fandango being the very first 3d game to work on ScummVM
how does this does not have x100 more views?
I have to say, I only bought Grim Fandango for the platinum on PS4 but after playing the first year, I threw the speedrun guide aside and just enjoyed the living hell out of this game. Now, it's one of my favourite video game soundtracks of all time! Also, I can't say I found Glottis annoying, to be honest, I loved his character and was devastated about having to leave him behind.
Grim Fandango is a beautiful story, which introduced me to the beautiful world of the Mexican holiday.
In the early 80s the videogame crash happened in the US. In europe the story was completely different. It was healthy and bouyant... Just on formats which weren't successful in the states.
Ragnar, you have a wonderful channel!
I have a friend who bought grim fandango for his (then) new pc. I remember also he was stuck in a particular elevator level because the game was not optimized for such a fast pc.
Another great video! Love your work, Ragnar!
You speak Mexican Spanish like an actual Mexican. Bravo Señor, Bravo
In the very beginning of the video it seems like footage from that 007 movie in Mexico City. It is funny because that festival never existed in Mexico City, it was created on the movie. El Día de los Muertos is celebrated a little differently over here, it is a little more mystical than a festival, like the video shows in the first couple of minutes. Recently, Mexico's government decided that tourists that come to Mexico City hoping to see that festival would be dissapointed to find that it does not exist. So a festival like the one shown in the movie has been replicated. This is great, more interest on el Dia de los Muertos which is one of the most beautiful festivities in Mexico.
Thank a lot for pointing that out - and that's super interesting background information actually!
Yes, it was a shot from the movie and I tried to use it sparingly. I employed this very short segment mainly because it provided a fantastic scenic shot for the pencil drawings with a great framing for the first title card.
Tbh, writing this part was a bit challenging, because I am actually in no place to tell if Grim Fandango's treatment of the Día de los Muertos is appropriate or feels like cheap cultural tourism, because I myself am a cultural tourist in that. And in the end, no matter how much research they did, it's a gringo-story after all.
Over all, I personally have the feeling that it comes from a mindset of great respect - but that's ultimately for Mexicans who grew up with those festivities to decide, not me.
Assuming that you are Mexican, I'd love to hear your opinion on that topic if you don't mind.
:)
Yes, I didn't mean to prove anything wrong, in fact you are right on everything you said in the intro. Also, all of the footage you used in the intro is real and that is mostly the whole atmosphere on El Dia de los Muertos all over the country. That night time atmosphere involving the altars in cementeries and in people's homes, the candles, the incense, the flowers, the decorations and paintings. You also nailed it on your description of its pre-hispanic roots. I live near Patzcuaro, a rural city that, before the spaniards, was ruled by the Tarascan people. Patzcuaro is one of the main regions where El Dia de los Muertos is massively celebrated, given a huge emphasis on that mysticism, even deeper than in other regions of Mexico. Some people even get a feel of spirituality on those celebrations.
To be totally honest with you I didn't finish the video because of spoilers. I haven't finished Grim Fandango. I started it some years ago and I do remember it being mostly accurate. If I am not mistaken in the first few scenes there is a festival shown, with the traditional flowers and even bread of the dead!
Like you said, it respects the idea of El Dia de los Muertos very much, it feels mature and I just love how they mix the mexican idea and feel of it with the noir film aspects, it was an amazing idea and it is just awesome.
To be fair, again like you said, at the end of the day it is still a gringo-story. But I have no problems with that, I'm not the kind of mexican that goes like "DAMN GRINGOS GET OFF MY CULTURE! REEEEEE". Actually I think it is amazing when other cultures become fascinated by our culture and try to depict its different aspects on movies (even if we're the bad guys, even that Logan trailer made me excited), and even more in video games!
I'm sorry I can't give a better opinion. I have no idea why I haven't finished the game. I can remember that I was enjoying it but I was younger and maybe I felt it was a little dated. However I do know it is a must play game and I have to find time to play it soon.
The same thing happened to me with Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines, except I almost did not enjoy Vampire the first time. And then it turned out to be up there on my favorite games of all time, maybe even my very favourite.
Keep making this! We can see that you have amazing taste. You manage to point out stuff some of us might not notice on vide games.
I stay in expectancy to see what other cool games you make love letters to.
"I'm sorry I can't give a better opinion."
What more could I ask for? Fantastic insights, thank you very much for that!
Great video. probably going to have to replay it now
A wonderful video on a truly wonderful game!
Thanks for your wonderful and beautiful Love Letters, they are so heartful and admirable.
Speaking of long tales and journeys in adventure games: did you ever experienced The Longest Journey and it's spin-off Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (both very different games from each other) ? Despite telling a great and fantastic journey through different worlds and dimensions, it's so great to meet the characters of the first game in it's spinned off sequel.
They are actually on my Love Letter list. (Which is not a very long list)
Well, then I'm really looking forward to it :)
I feel lazy now to watch this video (and I don't know anything about Grim Fandango, but heard of it), but thank you for your channel. You're intelligent and have a good taste