How to design a classic adventure game
Tim Schafer is a man who needs no introduction.
So, anyway, in celebration of adventure classic Grim Fandango's tenth birthday, he's magnanimously released the game's puzzle design document to the teeming TL;DR masses online. Not only is it a fascinating and often amusing read (be wary of nonlinearity's "repulsive, yet fascinating head"), but it's full of valuable guidance for those fledgling adventure designers still struggling to solve the classic "talking walrus in a trench coat" dilemma. We struggled with that one for weeks.
And in case you're one of the sad types currently shrugging their shoulders and asking, "Grim Fanwhatnow?," know that it's one awesome
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neato.