Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Grim Fandango Remastered. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

I still remember my first time playing the original release of Grim Fandango. I was 14 and at my cousin's house and while I considered myself pretty adapt at video games (like any kid of those years), my life changed when my cousin loaded up Lucas Arts' cult hit for the first time. We spent the majority of the cold, Wisconsin winter huddled up in front of the family PC, notepad next to us, trying to figure out everything the game could throw at us. Flash to almost twenty years later and I'm now sitting back in front of my own PC, notepad next to me and trying to remember what we already figured out. I don't remember as much of Grim Fandango as I thought I would, which is making me appreciate it even more. Some of the game's quirks may not have been fixed, but having a classic like back and ready for a whole new audience is very good for everyone.

Grim Fandango tells the story of Manny Calavera, reaper and travel agent for the recently deceased. Manny isn't exactly good at his job, so he steals a case from one of his competitors and that begins the game proper as a mystery where you'll unravel clues leading to a conspiracy, love and a ton of incredibly memorable characters. Not everything you do in Grim Fandango makes perfect sense for the story the game is trying to tell but this is definitely an experience that believes that the journey is worth more than the destination. As true with the original release, Manny's journey is filled with incredibly well-written dialogue and a ton of great characters.

If you've played any of Telltale's recently released adventure games, you're likely to feel at least a bit at home with Grim Fandango; regardless of if you've actually played it before. Walk around interacting with people and objects until you're able to use them to solve the puzzles before you, but be warned that this isn't exactly like the modern adventure games you're used to. Grim Fandango is not interested in holding your hand and giving you hints to move you along, and the previously mentioned notebook and pen will do you well as you'll be hard pressed to remember everything you'll need to be successful, especially in the later half of the game. A simple hint system could have gone a long way in bringing in a new audience but you've got to give Double Fine credit for not making the game any easier. Also, heads up, the game has no auto save and though the game makes sure to tell you that at least twice very early on, it's easy to forget and have to start the game all over again.

The remastered version of Grim Fandango has been given an overhaul to it's visuals and sound and while the newly remastered score is a great addition, some of the game's visuals fail to impress. The environments and Manny himself have clearly had the most work done. You can switch back and forth between the new version and the original at will and more often than not there's not really a huge difference and I'm not quite sure if that's because of how well the game has aged or a testament to the amount of work that's been done on the game. The developers have also done a great job mapping the game's dated controls to modern gamepads and PC setups but Manny still controls like a tank and it would have been great to have a new control scheme for those who wanted to switch.

Nearly twenty years later and Grim Fandango is still as charming, lovable and challenging as it was when it was first released. Fans of the original will love the facelift the game has been given, but will be happy that the original is honored with such well done special features. Those who haven't played the game yet have the best version yet to fall in love with, even if they're bound to get frustrated at the lack of a hint system. Grim Fandango is still the lovable corpse he was before and the remastered version is easily a must buy.