Three prevalent themes in the discussion
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Praise for the game’s art, music, writing, and lasting style
Many commenters highlight Grim Fandango’s unique atmosphere and how it still resonates years later.“Even though I didn't understand most references and sarcasm, few games have grabbed my attention as Grim Fandango did. The art work, the music, the writing. The whole game oozes of style that I've never seen replicated.” – fredrikholm
“It holds up incredibly well, particularly with the modernized controls. … Just play it.” – InsideOutSanta -
Criticism of the puzzles, controls, and overall gameplay difficulty
Several users love the aesthetic but find the puzzle design obtuse or the controls frustrating, often requiring walkthroughs.“Not to be a downer about a masterpiece game but…the demo ends right before the game starts proffering anti‑logic puzzles.” – jimbob45
“I love the world, the characters, the music, and the art style… I literally hate the puzzles and the gameplay.” – upmostly
“Bad controls + 90s point‑and‑click‑puzzle‑design + early 3d graphics is not a good recipe.” – DanielHB -
Appreciation for the behind‑the‑scenes design document and Tim Schafer’s personality
The shared PDF sparked interest in the game’s development process, Schafer’s humor, and broader cultural impact (e.g., Lua scripting, family play).“The small square box at the very end of the document, with accompanying text, is just delightful: > To protect this document, please restrict your fallen tears of joy to this box. Thank you! → [__]” – leokennis
“Grim Fandango is interesting because they are responsible for Lua’s popularity as a gaming scripting language.” – ModernMech
“Nice, Tim Schafer is someone whose writing I really admire… Double Fine documented the entire (7 year!) development cycle of Psychonauts 2 … it is one of the best documentaries ever made.” – polytely