Grim Fandango Remastered is exactly the same game that you remember from 1998. The story and gameplay remain unchanged, so it's still a game primarily about chatting with other characters and using items in increasingly obscure ways to solve puzzles. As in the original, Manny starts out as a lowly salesman, but over the course of the game he’ll uncover dark secrets, open up a casino, and chase the girl of his dreams. It can seem a bit quaint by modern standards, but the witty writing and wonderful art direction feel timeless, and there are some important changes that make this version more palatable in 2015.

The witty writing and wonderful art direction feel timeless

For one thing, the graphics have been updated with new higher resolution textures, so even though Grim Remastered looks old at times, it's still the best-looking version of the game ever released (you can also press a button to swap back and forth between the old and new graphics at any time to see the difference). The wonderful score has also been re-recorded with a live orchestra, and the controls have thankfully been reworked so that they feel much more intuitive. It's no longer frustrating just walking around a busy room.

These are all fairly standard updates when it comes to remastering old games, but far and away the best new feature is the absolutely incredible director's commentary. Any time you come close to an object of interest, you can tap a button to hear director Tim Schafer and many of the artists, programmers, and designers who worked on the game telling stories about exactly how it was made.

Director's commentary doesn’t work for every game — it's hard to listen to behind-the-scenes stories if you're worried about being shot in the face by a bad guy — but the leisurely pace of Grim makes it a perfect fit. It doesn't hurt that Schafer is always hilarious, and that there are so many good stories about the game that you've probably never heard before. There are nerdy bits about the trickery that was involved in getting the lighting to work in early 3D games, but also fascinating tales about how one of the voice actors thought Grim Fandango was actually a codename for Star Wars: Episode 1. While most of the other changes are designed to make the game more accessible for new players, the commentary makes this an absolute must-play for those who fell in love with the game way back in 1998. Finally you'll learn just why those fiery demon beavers in the forest are actually on fire.