Behind the Scenes of Game Creation: Grim Fandango's Puzzle Document

Fans who wonder what goes on inside the studios that make their favorite games should have a look at this: the internal "puzzle document" used as a guide for the creation of LucasArts' 1998 adventure game Grim Fandango (PC).

"People said the puzzles in Grim were super hard, and I've always maintained that this was due to a deep character flaw or mental illness on the part of the player," wrote Grim Fandango designer Tim Schafer on the website of Double Fine, his current studio.

"But now, reading this again, I've realized that holy smokes--Some of them puzzles were nuts. Obscure. Mean, even."

Grim Fandango details the adventures of one Manuel "Manny" Calavera through the Land of the Dead, a world inspired by Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday. As one of the last adventure games from LucasArts, it was a largely point-and-click game renowned for its writing, its unique story and artistic direction, and its puzzles.

Schafer revealed in his Double Fine entry that many puzzles in the document were cut from the final game due to time constraints, so fans of the game are encouraged to have a look at what could have been.