"Grim Fandango," released on October 30, 1998, celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday as the best adventure game in LucasArts history. It's Manny Caravella's turn. And Double Fine, the studio founded by "Grim Fandango" writer Tim Schafer, has released a compilation of memories from fans and developers to commemorate the anniversary.

"Manny Caravella came on the scene in 1998 and immediately won people over with his dry wit and steely determination." The "Land of the Dead" was full of burning beavers, dazzling casinos, and hot rod-driving elemental companions. Grimm" was a bright flash in the pan, just before adventure games went into extended hibernation. Still, it left a deep mark on players, and its influence can be felt in today's games.

In a survey Double Fine conducted of fans, one of the first questions was about their favorite character, with no prize for guessing the winner:

Long live the balloon animal clown! Manny garnered about 46% of the vote, which is really not surprising. And if you've never played "Grim Fandango," now is the time to mention that Double Fine reacquired the rights to the game and released a wonderful remastered version in 2015 (with a cast reading to celebrate the 20th anniversary).

The 20th anniversary article on Double Fine's website includes a fan art gallery, a cosplay gallery, and even a tattoo gallery. Toward the end, the article gets a little philosophical. [Community manager Harper Jay says. 'It's bizarre. Grim Fandango has been a part of people's lives for long enough now, longer when it was there than when it wasn't. Twenty-five years is a long time in terms of video games. It represents countless leaps in technology and audience trends, and includes the rise and fall of genres, studio triumphs and sometimes tragic closings."[9

Tim Schafer and many others left LucasArts after "Grim Fandango," and the adventure genre the studio specialized in experienced a long dark night of the soul before its later renaissance. But some games last long regardless of the ups and downs of the video game industry. Grim Fandango" is one such fortunate game. Fans play it over and over again. New players pick up the game to find the same joy that others found decades ago. It is easy to think of the game as a distraction. You pick up the game, get an adrenaline rush or an excuse to zoned out, drop the game, and move on. But from time to time, they leave traces in your mind.

"Grim Fandango" is a masterpiece, but to play it now you have to be halfway through. But there was nothing like selling a travel package to a soul passing through the land of the dead later in life.

"Thank you to everyone who contributed and collected these beautiful memories. I will place them next to where my heart used to be."