Discworld Noir Review

9.0

Format PC

Developer Perfect Entertainment

Publisher GT Interactive

Genre Unknown

The third Discworld adventure is moody, smells of stale whisky, and hasn't shaved for days. Much like Mark Hill, then

It could be a coincidence, but it seems that adventure games have developed an awareness of their own mortality. The last one to puzzle its way to our screens was Grim Fandango (PCZ #71, 90%), set in the underworld and casting you as a collector of souls for the Department of Death. Now, over half a year later, the colourful and lighthearted Discworld games have become simple childhood memories, as the latest Pratchett-inspired point-and-clicker goes dark and gloomy.

We'll always have Ankh-Morpork

Discworld Noir's title isn't gratuitous, as the game draws inspiration from film noir classics such as The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon. Although set in the recognisable world of the Disc, all the action takes place on a stormy night, with a constant curtain of rain covering all outside locations, occasionally brightened by lightning. And while it may alienate some Discworld fans, the game's references, steals and adaptations from the Dashiell Hammett school of detective fiction are its greatest triumph.

The main character, Lewton, is obviously modelled on Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. He's a man with a shady past in the police force - or in this case the Watch - a drinking problem and woman trouble. His humour is often ironic and reflects the cynical, misanthropic and nihilistic view common to noir detectives (and games jounalists). (Despite his disgusting raincoat and not-quite-designer stubble, there is one essential ingredient missing from this hard-boiled dish: the yellow-stained fingers of a pathological chain-smoker. A cigarette is never far from the lips of any private eye worth his salt, and its conspicuous absence is obviously a concession to the health-conscious, politically correct '90s.)

The game starts off with the requisite femme fatale walking into your office. Pretty soon there's a murder, and you're the prime suspect. There are flashbacks. You meet a woman who broke your heart years ago. A dwarf with Peter Lorre's voice breaks into your office... Well, we don't want to give the whole thing away.

This time round the graphics are in 3D and really do add a new dimension to the series. This is the Discworld like you've never seen it before. But while you get a feeling of Ankh-Morpork as a real city with wide streets and myriad buildings, it seems curiously uninhabited. This is partly because there are almost no superfluous characters; you can, and probably should, talk to everyone you meet. It also contributes to the atmosphere, which is dark and tense.

The use of shadow, light and darkness is almost as important as the sound. The magical notes of the downpour of rain splattering against the ground and the crackling of thunder are the perfect companions to an excellent soundtrack. From the first bars of '40s lounge jazz music that open the game, you know you're in the presence of pure class. Each location has its own particular theme, ranging from saxophone-coated dirges to light piano bar-room noise, including a troll Ella Fitzgerald.

LOSING THE PLOT

All of which provides enough distraction as you try to piece together a complex plot that is forever twisting and turning. If you've seen The Big Sleep, you'll know how purposefully complex the storyline is. Clues become a metaphor for the search of meaning and, since noir takes a 'life is meaningless' stance, it tends to become a circular movement, a juggling act to remember all the leads. You meet gangsters, bizarre religious cults (the answer to why life does have meaning is that '20,000 zealots can't be wrong') and even X-Files-style conspiracies, ensuring there's always something to keep you interested and wanting to go that little bit further.

The gameplay drops the usual object-oriented puzzle-solving in favour of a clues-based system. This means that instead of trying dozens of objects on everything in sight, the game relies much more on dialogue. Each time something or someone important is mentioned in conversation, you see it being scribbled in your notebook and you can then ask anyone you wish about it. There are pages devoted to cases, suspects and murders, and when you've pursued a lead to its conclusion it's scratched out. This system is crucial to the game, and thankfully it works very well.

Although you can ask everyone you meet about everything, it's better to talk to people about subjects they're likely to know something about. This gives a greater sense of using your wits to a logical end, and feels more rewarding when you correctly question someone you suspect, rather than randomly progressing by hit and miss.

At times there is too much dialogue, giving you the impression you're watching a film instead of playing a game, but it's generally interesting enough for you to want to watch it. The feeling fades after a while anyway, because the overly simple puzzles at the beginning get progressively more difficult as the plot thickens.

If you're a film buff or a noir fan, every new scene has you whooping with delight; if you're a Discworld fan there are plenty of allusions to the books and even the earlier games; and if you're just a plain old adventure fan you should be pleased there's finally something new to sink your teeth into. If you're all three, then this game was made for you.