In a long line of colorful and often outrageous characters that emerged from the creative minds at LucasArts, the dominant developer of quality adventure games last century, one stands out above the rest. His name is Manny Calavera, the protagonist of the unique and heavily stylized Grim Fandango.

The game takes place in a purgatorial world where the inhabitants are stuck in a kind of limbo between death and what lies beyond. Manny is a travel agent of sorts, forced to work off his debt to the “powers that be” by ushering newly deceased individuals on the journey to an unknown, but supposedly better version of the afterlife. The more depraved the life lived, the longer and more difficult the journey.

The adventure kicks off when Manny ends up chasing after a client, Mercedes Colomar, whose saintly life should have granted her an express trip on the exclusive “Number Nine” train, settling Manny's debt in the process. Inexplicably, however, she is required to make the four-year journey on foot.

Manny is the ultimate noir hero, cynical and sarcastic at times, reflective and melancholy at others. His outlook on life is typically bleak even though he tends to rise to top in every situation he finds himself in throughout the four-year span of the game.

[img]http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/user/2/24855-93450-lovePNG-468x.jpg [/img]
"Love is for the living..."

At one point, when asked if he is in love with Mercedes, Manny replies “Love? Love is for the living, Sal. I'm only after her for one reason... she's my ticket out of here.” This is the definitive line of the game, encapsulating Manny’s character perfectly. At first glance his actions up to this point and beyond appear purely mercenary, meticulously self-beneficial, but this really isn't the case. In reality he’s a charitable, selfless character, but a man who has been disenchanted and ground down by his daily interaction with the often utterly degenerate newly departed.

His desire for Mercedes is evident by this stage, a desire he will not allow to burgeon for fear of ultimate rejection and disappointment. His pessimistic resignation speaks volumes to how cynical he has become post-mortem; it makes the story’s eventual resolution all the more satisfying.


"Oh Manny... so cynical... What happened to you, Manny, that caused you to lose your sense of hope, your love of life?" "I died."

There is just something completely pure and authentic about Manny. His actions are a perfect reflection of his (after)life philosophy, making him one of the most believable, and thus empathetic, characters in the medium.

If you like adventure games, or even if you don't, and haven't played Grim Fandango you really should. It is the apex of its genre and one of the best character driven stories you'll find in a video game.