Would-be game designers and history enthusiasts can now access the design document for popular adventure title Grim Fandango.
Tim Schafer, one of the lead designers behind Grim Fandango‘s development in the mid-90s and currently head of Double Fine Productions, was feeling a bit nostalgic when he uncovered his old puzzle design documents from Grim‘s development.
Upon opening up this ancient game development text, Schafer decided to upload the 72-page document to Double Fine’s website, along with some designing gems he’s learned since working on Grim.
In 1998, Schafer didn’t quite accept complaints that some of the game’s puzzles were too difficult to solve. Upon retrospective review, he now concedes that “holy smokes–Some of them puzzles were nuts. Obscure. Mean, even. I blame Peter Chan, because he will never read this post to know that I blamed him.”
The report reveals a number of features and characters ultimately cut from the final product to launch by its three-year time line. Schafer’s list of dismissed monsters shows some expectedly twisted ideas, such as The Pizza Demon and Giraffe Lady, as well as a “five-puzzle action climax with Hector LeMans!”
Fans with fond memories of the decade-old Grim Fandango can read the rest of the report for more Grim goodies.
Source: Kotaku
