Discworld Noir
| Discworld Noir | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Perfect entertainment | ||
| Publisher | GT Interactive | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
June 1999 | ||
| platform | Windows , Playstation | ||
| genre | Adventure | ||
| Subject | Discworld | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Keyboard , mouse | ||
| medium | CD-ROM | ||
| language | German English | ||
| Age rating |
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Discworld Noir is a point-and-click - Adventure of Perfect Entertainment . It's after Discworld and Discworld II - Probably Missing the developer's third adventure game, which is set on Terry Pratchett's Discworld .
action
While the player steered Rincewind through the Discworld in the first two Discworld games , the main character in Discworld Noir is Ankh-Morpork's best (because the only) private detective, namely Luton (Lewton). Luton is everything but not a hero. As a former member of the city guard, dismissed on suspicion of corruption, he struggled through life with small, commissioned work. He's a drinker and cynic, his love has left him and his best friend is the vampiric piano player in his local bar, that is, Luton is a classic loser guy. The trench coat and a wrinkled floppy hat are his trademarks, just like Humphrey Bogart used to do . With this background he fits perfectly to Ankh-Morpork, because this is where crime reigns, only that here it is at least licensed to prevent it from getting out of hand. In general, Ankh-Morpork only seems to have brought up its ugliest sides for this game. It is basically night and the weather is mostly bad.
The plot begins with a beautiful woman named Carlotta entering Luton's office. She misses her lover Mundy, so Luton should find him for her. It does not stop with this one person who has disappeared, and at the latest when the first dead person appears, it becomes clear that this is a bigger matter. A large-scale conspiracy appears to be afoot and a mysterious old cult appears to have been revived. To make matters worse, Luton's former lover reappears and with it the old problems, and a werewolf also seems to be after Luton's life. So our hero has to show that he is not a failure if he wants to survive.
In the course of the game, the player visits 70 locations, including places known from the novels, such as For example, the Ankh-Morpork Opera, the Invisible University or the Night Watch. Many characters from the original books also appear, for example Captain Mumm, the patrician or the idiosyncratic inventor Leonard da Quirm. The rest of the characters are similarly bizarre, like in a Terry Pratchett novel. The author of the Discworld novels was not personally responsible for developing the story, but was there to advise the development team and to introduce the manual.
Gameplay
Discworld Noir is an adventure game that, despite the trend towards 3D adventure games (such as Grim Fandango ), continued to adhere to the traditional third-person perspective with rendered backgrounds. The game figures are displayed as three-dimensional polygon models in front of this backdrop. With a point-and-click , the player gives Luton orders where to go and what actions to take. If the cursor is moved over an important object, it changes and enables corresponding actions, such as speaking to a character and examining an object. The main task of the game is to interview witnesses. The most important tool for this is Luton's notebook, in which he automatically records the collected notes in key words. With a click of the mouse, the player can try to link this information with one another and thus possibly obtain new information that is important for progressing in the game. From the halfway point onwards, Luton mutates into a werewolf as a result of the action, which gives him new methods of investigation. The ability to change to the wolf form at any time restricts the ability to see, but Luton can perceive and assign smells, indicated by clouds of color.
synchronization
The role of Luton is set to music in the English original by Welsh actor Rob Brydon , who had already set various roles in Perfect's previous Discworld games. Michael Krowas took over the task in the German language version . The German translation of the game comes from Andreas Brandhorst , the long-time translator of the Pratchett novels.
development
As the title implies, the game is strongly based on the so-called film noir genre . During the course of the game there are many numerous allusions to films such as The Trail of the Falcon , Dead Sleep Stuck , To Have and Not to Have or Casablanca , and the main character Luton is also strongly reminiscent of the film roles of Humphrey Bogart. The concept was worked out by game designers Chris Bateman and Gregg Barnett together with Discworld writer Terry Pratchett. The script was created by Perfect Entertainment and was then revised in detail by Pratchett.
reception
| German-speaking area | ||
|---|---|---|
| publication | Rating | |
| Adventure Corner | 4 of 5 | |
| Adventure meeting | 9 of 10 | |
| Bravo Screenfun | Note 1 | |
| GameStar | 79% | |
| PC player | 82% | |
| International | ||
| Adventure Classic Gaming | 4 of 5 | |
| Adventure Gamers | 4 of 5 | |
| Jeux video | 8 of 10 | |
| PC zone | 90% | |
| Meta-ratings | ||
| Game ratings | 86.00% | |
Gunnar Lott from the PC game magazine GameStar described the game's interface as “a bit cumbersome, but intelligently tailored to a detective story”. The allusions to the film noir would seem a bit artificial, the plot is at times confusing and the conversations are too detailed. However, he described the system for combining the clues as unique and the puzzles as well thought out.
“The idea of making a computer game in the style of a film noir movie that also takes place in Discworld was innovative. The result is definitely impressive. [...] There are deductions for the fact that the dialogues are overall less funny than one would have expected in a Discworld game. [...] In addition, the game has turned out to be a bit too dialog-heavy and all the leafing through the notebook starts to get on your nerves after a while. "
“Discworld Noir offers a complex, winding, adult film noir story in the fantasy world of Terry Pratchett. The humor and the characters are much more grown up than was the case with the first two titles. The game also differs in that you don't solve classic combination puzzles, but look for evidence like in a crime thriller, question witnesses and draw your own conclusions. Above all, the independent story about ritual murders, missing trolls, insidious dwarfs, a femme fatale, vampires, etc. deserves an innovation award. Anyone who also values interesting characters and intelligent dialogues, but found the Discworld games too childish up to now, should take a look here. "
Web links
- Discworld Noir at MobyGames (English)
- Discworld Noir in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Gunnar Lott : The streets of Ankh-Morpork: Discworld Noir . In: GameStar . 08/1999, August 1999, pp. 116-117.
- ↑ Marek Bronstring: Chris Bateman on Discworld Noir interview ( English ) In: Adventure Gamers . February 8, 2003. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ↑ a b http://www.adventurecorner.de/classics/410/discworld-noir
- ↑ a b Adventure-Treff.de: Discworld Noir ( Memento from June 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Joachim Enderlin: Check: Discworld Noir . In: Bravo Screenfun . No. 7/99 . Bauer Verlagsgruppe , July 1999, p. 34–35 ( archive.org [accessed August 12, 2019]).
- ↑ Udo Hoffmann: Role-playing game for advanced and professionals - Discworld Noir . In: PC Player . No. 7/99 . Future Verlag , July 1999, p. 106-108 ( pcplayer.de [PDF; 38.4 MB ; accessed on July 6, 2019]).
- ↑ http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/119/
- ↑ http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17579
- ↑ JeuxVideoPC.com: Test de Discworld Noir. Retrieved December 16, 2019 .
- ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/576124-discworld-noir/index.html