I downloaded the installer file. It is a .gz file. I opened it with the default archive software for Linux Mint 17 and it extracted to a file without an extension. After that Linux was unable to further extract the file until I manually added the .tar extension. It then could extract it in a folder and I was able to play the game launching the start.sh. But this seems like an unfriendly way to install the game (especially the part that required renaming the extracted file).

The question is:
- Is there a simpler way to install the game that I missed? The support explicitly states that there should be a .deb alternative installer, but I don't see it available in the game's card.


Also, I'd like to report that the forum link in the game's card in my library does not link to the proper subforum for Grim Fandango Remastered, but to the general forum!

No.

The installer is currently named gog_grim_fandango_remastered_1.0.0.3.gz (no tar in between, and this seems to be the case to a few other linux installers that I have checked eg the Dreamfall Chapters one).

That shell command would probably still work, but I don't think that it qualifies as a simpler/ friendlier way to install the game that I missed - it is not mentioned in the related support page either]related support page either. My further point being... why is the tar extension being removed if it is indicative of the decompression method/command we need to use?

Thanks pointing out a way to decompress the file in one step, though.

That's strange, when I download the archive it most definitely is a .tar.gz file. I am using Ubuntu.

I think I've downloaded both installation files (Windows and Linux) from my Windows laptop. Perhaps this is the culprit?
I am re-checking now (from Windows laptop) and it still only has the .gz extension.

I'll be able to confirm what the name is when downloading from my Linux OS in a few hours (when I get back to my desktop PC)

You were right. Downloading from a Linux PC, the installer is named .tar.gz so at least the extensions indicate what you have to do to extract it.

I don't know why it is not named correctly when downloading from a Windows PC. Maybe it's a bug, or maybe nobody expects to download the linux installer from a Windows PC?

Anyway, I am marking this as answered. It seems that there is no .deb installer file.
The current way to "install" the game in Linux is to extract the .tar.gz file into a folder and then run the start.sh.

I've download a number of tar.gz archives from GOG on a Windows PC just fine. Seems like a browser or add-on problem. IIRC, start.sh has an --install parameter, but I don't see the point in using it.

Probably not an addon problem, but a problem specific to Chromium based browsers...
My main browser is Opera (the new Chromium based one), and also Chrome has the same issue, with all extensions disabled.
I tried today with Firefox and Internet Explorer and they both download the file with the correct .tar.gz extension. I didn't know about that. But yeah, no point, since the game launches fine by just running the start.sh script.