Grim Fandango
Ranked 2 of 24 adventure games by recommenders
Recommended for its setting, characters, atmosphere and art style, and for lasting personal memories. Critics agree the puzzles are obscure and often illogical.
Recommended for its setting, characters, atmosphere and art style, and for lasting personal memories. Critics agree the puzzles are obscure and often illogical.
49 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 41
- criticize it
- 8
- approval share
- 84%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 20 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 41 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Setting, characters and atmosphere
“Grim Fandango is a game that's all about the setting and characters. For that alone it's a masterpiece. But the puzzles... ehh..”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “has lots of bugs (crashed on several occasions) and weird things, but the atmosphere is so cool”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “The game is a prime example of how characters can drive engagement.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” - Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
Lasting nostalgia and personal memories
“The one thing I remember the most was making the jump across the broken bridge”
Comment from 22 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “I fondly remember getting so stuck in Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango”
Comment from 10 Oct 2026 in “Triple-A Minesweeper” “One of my all time favorites and one I introduced my Son to as a child.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” - Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Lucasart's Afterlife”
Considered a favorite adventure game
“Superb and unique universe. It's brilliant.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “it's one of my favorite adventure games!”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “My favorite game of all time.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” - Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
Distinctive art style
“pulled out that beautiful 3D toon feel before toon shaders were made”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “The whole game oozes of style that I've never seen replicated.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “That game was a piece of art.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” - Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Obscure, illogical puzzles
“The puzzles are so bad. Like how in the world is somebody supposed to think of that stuff.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “the demo ends right before the game starts proffering anti-logic puzzles”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “Too bad the dated puzzles pull me out of it so much.”
Comment from 22 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” - Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
Clunky controls and dated 3D graphics
“Grim Fandango (which is arguably held back by its 3d graphics and controls)”
Comment from 24 Sep 2026 in “The science of Monkey Island: can grog dissolve a metal mug that fast?” “Between an art style that didn't age well and didn't grab me even then, obscure puzzles and a theme that doesn't interest me so much”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “It released with unbearable keyboard controls instead of the familiar point-and-click.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” - Comment from 24 Sep 2026 in “The science of Monkey Island: can grog dissolve a metal mug that fast?”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
Buggy and crashes
“has lots of bugs (crashed on several occasions) and weird things, but the atmosphere is so cool”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]” “It was rather buggy and hard to play without a walkthrough.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Grim Fandango Puzzle Document (1996) [pdf]”
Other adventure games people recommend
The four most recommended other adventure games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sid Meier's Pirates! | 61 | 11 | 85% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Grim FandangoThis page | 41 | 8 | 84% | 3 | 20 yrs3 owners | — |
| Myst | 31 | 7 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Monkey Island | 29 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Doki Doki Literature Club | 25 | 6 | 81% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 54 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I fondly remember getting so stuck in Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango”
“Grim Fandango (which is arguably held back by its 3d graphics and controls)”
“Those tank controls are not great, and going to 3D made the graphics noticeably worse.”
“Too bad the dated puzzles pull me out of it so much.”
“The one thing I remember the most was making the jump across the broken bridge”
“One of my all time favorites and one I introduced my Son to as a child.”
“the Grim Fandango remaster turned out so well, now that controls have settled into their modern forms”
“Year 2 of GF might be my favourite memory of any video game, ever.”
“The puzzles and interface really are awful though”
“it's just so chock full of character”
“It's the theme and characters.”
“Grim Fandango is a game that's all about the setting and characters. For that alone it's a masterpiece. But the puzzles... ehh..”
“It's well worth playing despite the many years passed since its release.”
“Superb and unique universe. It's brilliant.”
“The game is a prime example of how characters can drive engagement.”
“The puzzles are so bad. Like how in the world is somebody supposed to think of that stuff.”
“so much soul and character”
“I still have no idea how the hell the Chain puzzle worked”
“The puzzles, to me, made zero sense, which sucks the fun out of the game”
“It was rather buggy and hard to play without a walkthrough.”
“it's a beautiful work of art”
“Between an art style that didn't age well and didn't grab me even then, obscure puzzles and a theme that doesn't interest me so much”
“by the end of the game, their personalities had won over my heart”
“It released with unbearable keyboard controls instead of the familiar point-and-click.”
“it's one of those things that stays with you for life”
“My favorite game of all time.”
“it just felt clunky and the 3d art wasn't nearly as good as the amazing pixel art”
“it's one of my favorite adventure games!”
“That game was a piece of art.”
“I remember it took me a very long time to even find the Tube Room”
“It holds up incredibly well, particularly with the modernized controls.”
“I literally hate the puzzles and the gameplay.”
“pulled out that beautiful 3D toon feel before toon shaders were made”
“mostly it was a blast to finish it back in the day”
“has lots of bugs (crashed on several occasions) and weird things, but the atmosphere is so cool”
“It makes the control a bit more bearable but otherwise feels like the original.”
“the demo ends right before the game starts proffering anti-logic puzzles”
“Literally one of the best.”
“The whole game oozes of style that I've never seen replicated.”
“Such a big part of my childhood and teen years.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.