Line #15 VideoGame/DiscworldNoir


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_77730.jpeg]]
2	''Discworld Noir'' is the third ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' AdventureGame. It was made by GT Interactive and released in 1999.
3
4	The game follows Lewton, the Disc's first and only PrivateInvestigator. The game starts as Lewton is given a simple case to find a man. Since this is an AdventureGame set on the Discworld and acted out through a FilmNoir genre filter, it soon becomes clear that there is far more going on.
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6	While the game in many places is an AffectionateParody of FilmNoir, it also plays many of the tropes straight, even if they are given a unique Discworld spin.
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8	----
9	!!Tropes:
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11	* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Lewton consistently pronounces "troll" as /trɒl/, rhyming with "doll". Carlotta does too, but in her case it suits her accent.
12	* AdaptationalJerkass: Captain Vimes suffers from this as he proceeds to persecute and make up elaborate conspiracy theories as to how Lewton could be guilty. The book Vimes would never try and railroad anyone but would sincerely go after the guilty party like a dog with a bone.
13	* AdjectiveAnimalAlehouse: The Octarine Parrot.
14	* AdventurerArchaeologist: The Guild of Archeologists is a lot like this. It may be notable that their spokesperson is a young woman named "[[Franchise/TombRaider Laredo Cronk]]".
15	* AlternateContinuity: This is an alternate universe from the mainstream Discworld and non-canon.
16	* BackFromTheDead: One of Lewton's first lines is "I've never woken up dead before". [[spoiler:He's been stabbed with the stolen sword he was searching for, but revived because his client had infected him with lycanthropy and the blade wasn't silver.]]
17	* BadassLongcoat: Lewton. Brown trenchcoat with leather added over the shoulders, and a matching fedora.
18	* BarefootLoon: Malaclypse goes around in sandals, which may be to emphasize his unhinged personality.
19	* BigDamnKiss: Lewton and Carlotta share one of these at the end of Act I. [[spoiler: It also turns him into a werewolf.]]
20	* BizarreAlienSenses: Gaspode teaches Lewton how to use [[spoiler: werewolf "nasal vision"]].
21	* BlatantItemPlacement: Discussed by Laredo Cronk.
22	--> '''Laredo:''' It means breaking into ancient buildings within which no man or woman has walked for thousand of years, apart from whoever it is who leaves all those medical kits, of course.
23	* BoltOfDivineRetribution: A disillusioned cultist decides to declare his complete renouncement of all gods from the top of his own temple. He is immediately struck by a dozen lightning bolts simultaneously.
24	-->'''Mooncalf:''' What were the odds that I'd get hit by lightning just as I renounced all gods?\
25	'''Death:''' [[AC: About one to one, I'd say.]]
26	* CanonForeigner: All the main characters. Canon characters such as Gaspode and Nobby Nobbs are limited to secondary roles. There is certainly no indication in the books that Lewton, or even the profession of PrivateDetective, exists.
27	* CanonImmigrant: In ''The Compleat Ankh-Morpork City Guide'' the list of cafes includes Cafe Ankh, and the pubs and taverns includes the Octarine Parrot, both from here.
28	* TheChanteuse: Sapphire is basically an {{Expy}} of Ruby in ''Literature/MovingPictures'', with a song that includes the lines "The minute you walked through the wall,/I could see you were a troll of destruction".
29	* ChekhovsGun: {{Lampshaded}} when Lewton notices a grappling hook behind the troll he's trying to question. Sure enough, while he can't collect it immediately, he gets to use it later. "I couldn't have been more interested if it had had 'Plot Device' written all over it."
30	* ChessWithDeath: Death remembers once being challenged to a game of "flog" (Golf). The soul he's collecting asks what kind of game it is.
31	-->'''Death:''' [[AC:An extremely stupid one to play against someone who spends every second practicing his swing.]]
32	* ColdBloodedTorture: Discussed. After Lewton finds out that the assassin Remora is stalking him, he consoles himself with the fact that Remora won't be allowed to kill him as he doesn't have a contract on Lewton. That said, there's nothing stopping him from locking Lewton up somewhere and torturing him for days, as long as he keeps him alive.
33	* CombinatorialExplosion: Attempting to use a crowbar to smash a glass case elicits the response "Great idea. Shame it'll only work if you're a beta-tester or you've hacked the game", since you're supposed to have lost the crowbar by that point. A glitch causes the item to reappear in the spot where you found it, though. For shame, Mr Beta Tester.
34	* ConnectTheDeaths: Played straight.
35	* ConspiracyTheorist: Malaclypse, a servitor of Errata, Goddess of Confusion and Misunderstanding. This is a ShoutOut to out world Malaclypse the Younger (a penname for Gregory Hill), the supposed creator of ''Principia Discordia'', which details the worship of Eris, the Goddess of Chaos.
36	** [[spoiler:A reasonable chunk of his gibberish [[CassandraTruth is actually true]], and covers a lot of Discworld (and Discordian) mythology/history. And another reasonably large chunk are outright spoilers for the game. Not that you'd realize on the first hearing as they are vague at best and mixed with blatantly false information and {{Red Herring}}s.]]
37	* ContinuityNod: Lewton mentions that the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night (from ''Literature/GuardsGuards'') has been "forcibly disbanded."
38	** One stained-glass window at the Temple of Small Gods represents an angel presenting a pizza (with a small bay leaf) to a prophet, a reference to a religion mentioned in ''Literature/{{Mort}}'' that believed that the Discworld was created in the image of a pizza.
39	** The von Uberwalds' butler refers to the manor as a "splendid Lorenzian building". As mentioned in the books, Lorenzo the Kind was the last King of Ankh-Morpork, executed by Stoneface Vimes.
40	** Lewton makes an off-hand remark about "a thousand dead in a pogrom in [[Literature/SmallGods Omnia]]," implying that the game takes place [[ChurchMilitant before Brutha's reform]]. Or at least that those times are within living memory.
41	** A few times Lewton compares something he's going through to things he's seen in [[Literature/MovingPictures the Clickies]], meaning he was evidently a patron of them during the few week period that Clicks were legal.
42	** Two Conkers fled back to Ankh Morpork from the Agatean Empire because he was worried about his prospects of survival after a [[Literature/InterestingTimes recent revolution.]]
43	** Gaspode talks about the [[Literature/MenAtArms Guild of Dogs]] and describes it as having become little more than a pack of thugs since Big Fido died.
44	* ContinuitySnarl: A minor one. Early on in the game, Nobby says that Vimes is "practically royalty" because he's now the Commander of the Watch, which comes as a surprise to Lewton. This would seem to indicate that the game takes place some time between ''Literature/MenAtArms'' and ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', where Vimes is promoted to literal royalty. However, later in the game Lewton is exonerated of the murder of [[spoiler: Malachite]] because a gargoyle on the roof of the Clacks office saw the crime, which would set the game some time around ''Literature/TheFifthElephant''. It's easily explainable by Nobby being forgetful and Lewton being out of the loop, or by the Clacks being in very early development, or by the events described in ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'' and their described [[TimeyWimeyBall muddying of history.]]
45	* TheCorpseStopsHere: Taken to ludicrous extremes. Lewton finally finds the guy he's looking for when he's knocked unconscious from behind. When he comes to, the guy's dead and Vimes and Nobby are standing over him and telling him he's the prime suspect. Other characters are impressed by the way he knocked himself out to allay suspicion.
46	* CosmicHorrorReveal: The first part of the game seems like a normal mystery story, with a detective, a murder, suspects... The final part, however, involves a plan to release an EldritchAbomination, and once it's released, [[LovecraftLite finding a way to kill it]].
47	* CrateExpectations: In the very first scene [[PrivateInvestigator the protagonist]] is looking for a MacGuffin that has been smuggled on a ship, hence the many possible crates to check.
48	* CreditsGag: Creator/TerryPratchett is credited as "Far Too Much Interference".
49	* CrisisOfFaith: Mooncalf suffers one of these [[spoiler: due to Anu Anu failing to kill Nylonthotep. This results in him going mad, renouncing all gods, and being hit by lightning.]]
50	* CursedWithAwesome: Discussed. Lewton isn't very happy about [[spoiler: becoming a werewolf]], but [[spoiler: Carlotta (who infected him)]] says it's a great gift. It does turn out to be pretty useful.
51	* DarkerAndEdgier: The entire game feels like a dark Watch book, to fit with the Noir theme. It is also quite darker than the two previous Discworld games, both in feel and in colour palette. Actually works.
52	* DayOfTheWeekName: Mundy, a parody of Thursby from ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon\|1941}}''.
53	* DeadpanSnarker: Lewton, and oh-so-many others.
54	** WorldOfSnark: Possibly even more than the books.
55	* DialogueTree: The game has these, which is unsurprising for an adventure game. It adds that you can bring up any item in your inventory as a conversation prompt, along with notes you've made about topics you've encountered.
56	** Given the amount of these notes throughout the game, the amount of unique dialogue on combinations of notes and NPC:s they are presented to is dowrith impressive.
57	* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler: Lewton doesn't get either of his love interests. Ilsa leaves Ankh-Morpork with her husband, and Lewton has [[FemmeFatale Carlotta]] arrested by the City Watch for her involvement in the murders.]]
58	* DirtyCop: Lewton took a bribe and earned Vimes' everlasting enmity. Lewton finds this ridiculous as Nobby and other Watch members regularly steal evidence and rob victims or criminals as part of their job. Nobby explains that bribery, unlike petty theft, was Vimes' BerserkButton.
59	* TheDogWasTheMastermind: Well, more accurately, the bestial serial killer is [[spoiler: the god Anu Anu who spends most of his time in the form of a small dog. However it is his worshippers who choose his victims and they are all in turn being manipulated by the real mastermind]].
60	* DyingClue: A victim who was hung upside-down, blinded, and left to bleed to death scrawls a note in blood on the wall. The message is [[spoiler: a code-number for the hiding place of a mysterious relic, but it appears to be a name because it's written upside-down. The name is possibly the biggest RedHerring in the entire game]].
61	* EditorialSynaesthesia: [[spoiler:Werewolf vision]].
62	* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler: Nylonathotep is a tentacled abomination from the Dungeon Dimensions who wants to destroy the universe and is worshiped by the Dark Sect.]]
63	* ElvishPresley: Lewton will say "Thank you very much" with an Elvis accent when a wizard informs him that glamours are "an elvish thing".
64	* EvilSoundsDeep: Horst. Really bizarrely, when you realize he's one of several characters voiced by Robert [[Series/RedDwarf "Kryten"]] Llwellyn.
65	* {{Expy}}: Many of the characters in the game are quite clearly Discworld versions of characters from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' and ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon\|1941}}''.
66	** Hortz the Troll is one for Casper Gutman as a huge GeniusBruiser who is also a DiabolicalMastermind.
67	** Al-Khali is a dwarf henchmen for Hortz and named after the largest city in Klatch, ala Joe Cairo to Casper Gutman.
68	** Carlotta is one for Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Mrs. Grayle from ''Literature/FarewellMyLovely'', both classic Chandler FemmeFatale characters.
69	** Isla is one for Lund from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''.
70	** Samael is one for Sam from the same film, being a piano playing vampire who is told things like, "Play it again, Sam."
71	** The Count is one for General Sternwood from ''Literature/TheBigSleep.''
72	** Regin the dwarf is for Rusty Regan from ''Literature/TheBigSleep'' but is actually closer to the chauffeur, being the Von Ubervald's carriage driver.
73	** "Tomb evacuator" Laredo Cronk is an obvious [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]] reference, and the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' theme occasionally ''almost'' plays in the background of the archaeologist's guild.
74	* FantasticNoir: A more humorous take on the entry, as you'd expect from the [[Literature/{{Discworld}} source material]].
75	* FatBastard: Jasper Horst, the troll parody of Casper Gutman.
76	* FemmeFatale: [[spoiler: Carlotta]].
77	* FilmNoir: a bitter, cynical, life-weary, alcoholic detective narrates his crime investigation in [[WretchedHive a dark, corrupt city]]. Almost no one is telling the truth or can be trusted, and adultery, blackmail, murder and conspiracy are the least despicable things perpetrated. And it's always night and it's always raining.
78	* FirstNameBasis: Lewton tells his friend Samael (a vampiric pianist/''Casablanca'' reference) that they've known each other long enough, that Samael shouldn't call him by his last name. Samael retorts that they've known each other long enough, that he's earned the right to call Lewton whatever he wants, and prefers the last name.
79	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
80	** After meeting the dwarf Al Khali, Lewton comments "all we needed was a troll and a member of the undead and we could open an ethnic comedy on Broadway". Soon after that, Lewton meets Malachite the troll, and much later [[spoiler:Lewton himself becomes a member of the undead]].
81	** Lewton comments when Carlotta is kisses him: "something changed in me at that point, and I knew I'd never be the same again", while the camera moves to stained glass depicting a wolf. [[spoiler:It's later revealed Lewton transformed into a werewolf during that moment]].
82	** If you examine the fountain in the Temple of Small Gods, Lewton says that until someone is found murdered in the fountain, it is of no interest to him. [[spoiler:While not a murder victim, Mooncalf's corpse ends up floating in it after his death by SmiteMeOhMightySmiter]].
83	** The manual, when talking about the religions of Ankh-Morpork, mentions {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and their worshippers. This might seem like just a bit of worldbuilding (or a ShoutOut to Creator/HPLovecraft). [[spoiler:Then comes the CosmicHorrorReveal two-thirds in.]]
84	* FriendOnTheForce: Playing the role of [[Film/TheMalteseFalcon1941 Detective Tom Polhaus]] is Corporal Nobby Nobbs. So no help there.
85	* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire:
86	** The vampire pianist Samael, probably a black ribboner. He is a piano player and old friend of Lewtons.
87	** The Count may or may not be one of these but he's quite friendly to Lewton and a help on his investigation.
88	* GenericDoomsdayVillain: The Cult of Nylonathotep wants to destroy the entirety of the Disc and all of its peoples. Even the other EvilCult in the game thinks this is an insane plan.
89	* GenreSavvy : Some of the villains, [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality not that it surprises anyone.]]
90	* GenreShift: [[spoiler: For the most of the game the game seems like an AffectionateParody of FilmNoir in general, and ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' in particular. Then towards the end, it suddenly turns out to be a CosmicHorrorStory, with Noir elements.]]
91	* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: As usual on the Disc. [[spoiler: The entire plan turns out to be an attempt by the worshippers of the small god Anu-Anu to have their god defeat Nylonathotep and thus win enough believers to become a recognized deity.]]
92	* GoingByTheMatchbook: A major clue early on is a matchbook from the Octarine Parrot.
93	* GoodCopBadCop: Nobby and Detritus hilariously botch this.
94	* GrammarCorrectionGag:
95	-->'''[[PrivateDetective Lewton]]:''' Can I see the Count?\
96	'''[[TheJeeves Butler]]:''' I am not in a position to ascertain the effectiveness of sir's eyesight. However, sir ''may'' see the Count, which is what I believe sir was attempting in sir's uneducated way to ask.
97	* HalfHumanHybrid: The bartender Mankin is half-elf, in the Discworld setting, that makes him very unpopular (since [[Characters/DiscworldSpecies Elves]] are cruel and vain beings from a parallel dimension), and gives him no special powers. He is a very bitter person.
98	* HardboiledDetective: Lewton both embodies and parodies this trope, due to the Disc's TheoryOfNarrativeCausality; he doesn't know ''why'' being a private investigator means he has to wear a trenchcoat and fedora, but he's quite sure it does.
99	--> '''Lewton:''' A lot of strange things had happened to me since becoming a private investigator, but the weirdest was the irrepressible sensation that the most important thing for me to own as a P.I. was a door, with my name painted on the glass. Some mysteries are best left unsolved, I guess.
100	* HostageForMacGuffin: Played straight, [[spoiler: Horst holds Ilsa for the Golden Sword]].
101	* HowWeGotHere: The game opens with a cinematic in which the protagonist is chased down and stabbed to death. [[spoiler: You spend the first half of the game looking for the McGuffin whose possession will result in your untimely demise.]]
102	* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Lewton tries to do this on Malaclypse - it works, after a fashion.
103	* InformingTheFourthWall: Lewton says "I resisted the temptation to say 'That doesn't work'". ''Noir'' specifically had the creators come up with specific lines for practically every combination.
104	* InMediasRes: The game opens with Lewton ''buried'', having been fatally stabbed in a cinematic. The first half of the game is his story of how he got into this situation, the second is how he deals with its aftermath.
105	* InterspeciesAdoption: When it's revealed that [[spoiler: Carlotta is actually Therma, who Lewton had assumed was a troll, she explains that she was adopted by Malachite's parents]].
106	* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Mooncalf dies by climbing on top of the temple before renouncing all of the gods. This results in him being hit by lightning. It's karmic because he was part of a series of murders in his god's names.]]
107	* LargeHam: In-game actor Privetier is a huge ham, much to Lewton's displeasure.
108	* LetsPlay: A video playthrough by [=TheRussianGestapo=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuY8hEw5724&hd=1 on YouTube]].
109	* MathematiciansAnswer: When Lewton asks the butler if he can see Count von Uberwald, the ServileSnarker responds that he is in no position to judge how good Lewton's eyesight is, but he may indeed see the Count.
110	* TheMaze: [[DownTheDrain The Sewers]] of Ankh-Morpork are ''Tricky'', and you will go round in circles (thankfully through only three rooms) until you [[spoiler:go into werewolf mode and follow a scent trail.]]
111	* MeaningfulName: The assassin Remora is named after a fish that can attach itself to larger sea-life or boats, suitable given Remora's stalking of Lewton.
112	** Remora is particulariy known to attach themselves on sharks. Appropriate for a lowlier member of the Selachii family.
113	* MysteryFiction: The game combines this trope with Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, casting the player as a citizen who becomes a detective because of the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality.
114	* NayTheist: [[spoiler: Mooncalf]] loses his faith in the Disc gods, clambers up to the Temple roof while ranting about what ungrateful, undeserving total bastards they are, and is [[spoiler: struck by a dozen lightning bolts simultaneously]]. He was congratulated for his style by [[spoiler: Death]].
115	* NoirEpisode: The game deserves an honorable mention, though it was a video game that was a spinoff from [[Literature/{{Discworld}} the books]].
116	* NoodleIncident: Why Lewton was kicked out of the Watch.
117	* NowWhereWasIGoingAgain: The game uses the journal not only as a means to remind the player on what he has to do next, but also as a gameplay mechanic. Namely, the journal entries can be used to question the characters. Appropriate, considering that the protagonist is a PrivateDetective is in a skewed FilmNoir fantasy game.
118	** But also occasionally irritating, as the other characters almost always get annoyed when you ask them something that's not relevant to their case, and sometimes even if it is. Trying to figure out which questions are the right questions to ask, and who to ask them to, can be a GuideDangIt in and of itself.
119	** Especially at least one instance where you have to realise that you have to question a character in relation to a note that he gave you. Especially annoying as you can continue on for quite some time without doing this before you are no longer able to progress, giving you no reason to think that you need to talk to him at the moment!
120	* OddJobGods: Errata, the Goddess of Misunderstandings, famous for having the largest number of followers who, by mistake, follow a different god.
121	* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: It looks like the game is headed for this when an ancient guardian wants to ask you a riddle to see if you are worthy to receive the McGuffin. But the guardian happened to forget the riddle during his 400-year-wait (but still insists to only hand the item to those who answer it) and Lewton points out that someone of the ''un''worthy faction would just hack the weaponless guardian to pieces. As he's in somewhat of a hurry, he gives the guardian the option to hand over the McGuffin -- or he'll just ''pretend'' to be unworthy enough...
122	--> The guardian relents.
123	* OutOfCharacter: Insofar as characters who appear in the books are hanging about, they're reasonably true to the books-except for Vimes. Vimes holds a massive grudge against Lewton because the particular indiscretion for which Lewton was fired [[spoiler: (accepting a bribe)]] ranks just short of murder in Vimes' book (which is true to the books), and he's only too willing to accept that being found unconscious at the crime scene is proof of guilt. This in contrast with his portrayal in the books where he hates "clues" (like, say, being found unconscious at the crime scene) because they often create fantastic stories out of the theories but do little to solve the case. In the books his first duty is to justice, and if that means letting the guy he doesn't like walk so that the real culprit ends up behind bars, he doesn't want it any other way.
124	** Essentially, Vimes has been handed the role of Sam Spade's nemesis Lt. Dundy even though it's not a great fit, because it's still much closer than giving it to, say, Carrot.
125	** Could be Fridge Brilliance at work: Vimes may actually know that Lewton isn't a likely suspect, but wants Lewton to clean up this mess to make amends for his past failure as a copper. Leaning on Lewton may be Vimes playing out the same hard-ass role he adopted in ''Night Watch'' for his "ginger beer trick".
126	* OverrideCommand: Lewton must get into the Archeologists' Guild vault, which is guarded by a magical lock which will [[ForcedTransformation transform]] anyone who enters the wrong code. The trick is to talk to a wizard, who will tell you there's a "back passage" code.
127	* ParodyName: Mundy for Thursby; Jasper Horst for Casper Gutman; "Mount" Malachite for "Moose" Malloy; [[spoiler: Nylonathotep the Laddering Horror for [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep the Crawling Chaos]].]]
128	* PixelHunt: The previous games sometimes had this. Yes, the usable items were captioned, but only once you had the mouse on them, and the Josh-Kirby-lite insanely detailed backgrounds didn't help. ''Noir'', as in many things, was an improvement ... except when you were locked in jail, and had to find the right brick in a ''pitch-black room'' to escape.
129	* PosthumousNarration: Lewton gets killed in the opening cinematic, and and a good chunk of the game is a flashback.
130	--> '''Lewton:''' I've had some bad days since I started work as a private investigator. But I've never woken up ''dead'' before.
131	* PrisonEpisode: There's a brief prison-escape scene at the Patrician's Palace, which takes Lewton into [[spoiler: Leonard of Quirm's secret workshop]]. Once he's broken out of his cell, Lewton has to repeatedly break back ''into'' the secret location he'd escaped through to close the case.
132	* PrivateDetective: Lewton both embodies and parodies this trope, due to the Disc's TheoryOfNarrativeCausality; he doesn't know ''why'' being a private investigator means he has to wear a trenchcoat and fedora, but he's quite sure it does.
133	* PrivateEyeMonologue: Played straight and parodied, with the usual Discworld insistence that metaphors have to be precise. Also, Lewton is a very, very bitter man.
134	--> '''Mankin:''' Say, I do like your 'ard-boiled dialogue. 'Ow long d'you boil it?
135	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: In the final act, [[spoiler:Mooncalf]] denounces all gods on top of the Temple of Small Gods. [[JerkassGods This being the Discworld]], he is immediately incinerated by [[BoltOfDivineRetribution about a dozen lightning bolts]]. [[TheGrimReaper Death]] gives him points for style.
136	* RaisedByOrcs: Therma [[spoiler: AKA Carlotta von Ubervald was raised by trolls until she decided to reinvent herself.]]
137	* RedHerring: Unusually for an [[LawOfConservationOfDetail adventure game]], there are a few false leads, such as [[spoiler: the story of the madman Azile, who buried people upside-down, and Malaclypse's gibberish. Mostly.]]
138	* ServileSnarker: [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The butler]]. Although his snark is directed at Lewton, not his employer. (He doesn't actually have any ''scenes'' with his employer.) He's a lot less polite about it as a result. He'd raise obstruction to an art form if not for the fact that you have business with both his bosses, neither of whom appreciate being kept waiting.
139	* ShoutOut:
140	** The game has innumerable shoutouts to ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', and popular culture in general. There are also two framed pictures showing landscapes from the previous, more colorful, Discworld games.
141	** The McGuffin of the first half of the game is a falchion. A [[Film/TheMalteseFalcon1941 Tsortese]] [[IncrediblyLamePun Falchion]]. [[spoiler: That is also the Discworld's equivalent to the AppleOfDiscord, or would if the writing on it hadn't been "Batteries not included"]]
142	** The game is mostly a big {{homage}} to ''FilmNoir'', but includes a few {{Shout Out}}s to other things including ''Series/DoctorWho'' ([[spoiler: Satrap]]'s big villain speech is a fairly direct lift of Davros's in "Genesis of the Daleks") and other video games ("They'd hidden in a wine barrel. Now why did that make me think of the phrases 'You wait. Time passes.' and 'Thorin sits down and begins singing about gold'?" - the two phrases coming from the "hiding in wine barrels" scene in the InteractiveFiction version of ''Literature/TheHobbit''.)
143	** Privetier's whole subplot is [[spoiler: a shout-out to ''Film/TheatreOfBlood'']].
144	** The name of [[spoiler:Nylonathotep]] is a reference to [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination Nyarlathotep]] from the Literature/CthulhuMythos]].
145	* ShownTheirWork: Not only does the game use and parody Noir Tropes quite well, the amount of Shoutouts to classic Film Noirs is impressive.
146	** The film's basic plot begins very similar to ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon\|1941}}'' but quickly adds elements from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' and ''Film/{{MurderMySweet}}''.
147	** Various pieces of dialogue have been lifted from numerous Noirs verbatim, but given to surprising couplings.
148	* SinisterMinister: [[spoiler:Mooncalf]], though he's more of a WellIntentionedExtremist than actually evil.
149	* SmiteMeOhMightySmiter: The death of [[spoiler: Mooncalf. He goes mad with guilt over the actions of his cult and renounces all gods while standing on top of the Temple of Small Gods in a thunderstorm... it was inevitable, really.]]
150	* StrawMisogynist: Lewton has an over-the-top distrust of women due to how his relationship with Isla ended. Carlotta comments on it several times.
151	* SuspectExistenceFailure: Vimes definitely sees Lewton dying as this, but Lewton had actually managed to come BackFromTheDead (not that he was guilty of the murders anyway).
152	-->'''Vimes:''' My lead suspect was killed.
153	-->'''Vetinari:''' Hmmmm... that is very unfortunate.
154	-->'''Vimes:''' It certainly was for Lewton.
155	* TakeThat:
156	** The Lara Croft Expy basically serves as a vehicle for the writers to tear into the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' franchise. Ten years later, with all the Franchise/TombRaider re-releases, and sequels and stuff, it's become [[invoked]]HilariousInHindsight.
157	*** Even more hilarious when you realize much of it is now written by ''Creator/RhiannaPratchett''!
158	** There's also this line in the Guild of Archaeologists:
159	--> '''Lewton:''' I won't bore you with the details of the Guild's security system -- after all, if you've seen one intrincate and fatal collection of [[BottomlessPit pits]] and traps you've seen them all. Suffice it to say, it took a lot of [[TrialAndErrorGameplay trial and error]], some scorched eyebrows and more levers than I could count.
160	* TalkLikeAPirate: A sailor on the ''Milka'' initially speaks to Lewton in stereotypical pirate accent and sea-dog jargon, but quits hamming it up when Lewton calls him on it.
161	* ThemeSerialKiller: There was a parody of ''Film/TheatreOfBlood'', with the plays of [[Literature/WyrdSisters Hwel]], the Disc's version of Shakespeare.
162	* TrojanHorse: Used by Lewton to board the ''Milka'', and by a killer to enter the Patrician's Palace.
163	* TheVonTropeFamily: {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d, where the name "Count von Uberwald" ''isn't enough to identify someone'', except as "probably a vampire".
164	* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The cult really just wants to restore their deity Anu-Anu from [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly small god-hood]]. In the process, they murder eight people, sometimes in gruesome ways, and inadvertently unleash an EldritchAbomination upon Ankh-Morpork.]]
165	* WhamEpisode: More like wham scene - [[spoiler: the library scene when you finally figure out that the game is a CosmicHorrorStory]].
166	** And later still, when Lewton finally pieces some things together:
167	--> '''Lewton:''' At that moment I realized what was odd about the bone. [[spoiler: It had been a human femur.]]
168	* WholePlotReference: To ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon\|1941}}'', ''Film/FarewellMyLovely'' and ''Film/TheBigSleep''. All happening at the same time, and with one character playing the roles of all three {{Femme Fatale}}s.
169	** And then part way through, [[spoiler: where it turns out to also be a Discworld version of the investigation plot of ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'', with Eris and the AppleOfDiscord {{Expy}}s, conspiracies within conspiracies, a EldritchAbomination trapped in a polygon shaped building, and Malaclypse ranting.]]

Context VideoGame / DiscworldNoir