Grim Fandango Dog Names

After far as sidekicks go, Glottis ranks near the top of the list. While he may be technically classified as a “demon” because of his status in the Land of the Dead, his dog-like characteristics, including his endless loyalty and canine-focused look, provide the perfect complement to Manny Calavera as well as to the players who control him. 

At its heart, the game itself could be taken as a dark, somewhat gloomy story — after all, it does focus on the theme of death! But within the cultural context of the Aztec belief of the afterlife, it’s actually quite an uplifting narrative, and beyond that, an insightful if not somewhat glossy look at a culture that sees life and death much differently than our own, yet complete with the universally recognizable goods and evils that most people encounter in every day life. 

As such, Glottis fills a very important role in the storyline and as a character himself. While Manny is calculated, well-spoken, charismatic, dry, and witty, Glottis is just about the opposite, being brash, blunt, and more than all-else, the perfect comic relief for a game that centers around the subject matter that it does — not unlike our own canine characters. Throughout the game, Glottis is featured as a protagonist, even though he’s largely unplayable, moving the story along and providing humorous anecdotes and one-liners that make him and the story that much more lovable. What’s more, is that the game’s creators were able to play off of the dead theme as well as Glottis’ love for cars and his dog-like nature when he made the “Bone Wagon”, one of the story’s modes of transportation and one of the only occasions where players get to control Glottis (and the vehicle). 

But likely more important than just being a great character, Glottis (as well as others in the game) made the story accessible to younger generations of gamers, even with a heavy subject matter that never seemed to stray to far from the forefront. At its core, Grim Fandango was one of the last great adventure/puzzle games in an era that was moving away from the genre, one that had been held close, especially by fans of PC gaming. It set new boundaries in a three-dimensional world, provided an immersive environment complete with fantastical yet believable characters, and best of all, represented an alternate view on significant themes, all while maintaining a light-hearted feel that kept players returning again and again, even after the story and game had been completed. 

As it stands, if not in awards than at least in the hearts of those who loved the game most, Glottis may be one of the earliest and most influential characters ever created in the genre, let alone in his era of video games. He provided a conduit for the writers’ thoughts, subtle commentary on life themes, a friend in the game to fall back on, and in the process, loads of laughs. And although his status as a dog is still fully up for debate, his dog-like ears, act first mentality and timeless loyalty cemented him as the video game version of a human’s (or reaper’s) best friend.