Agree 100% with this review. I love this game.
My one problem is that I found it quite hard. I even went to look at walkthroughs a couple of times, and I'm no newbie when it comes to adventure games. Obviously, it's not the game's fault if I'm stupid, but I still feel the difficulty of the puzzles was a bit harsh.
Also, this may have been just the version that I played, but it was buggy as all get out. How buggy? At one point, one of the murder victims showed up in his usual spot on the map, alive and able to hold a conversation. And I got a couple of messages saying: "This would only work if you were a beta tester."
Everything else is just as good as you said. The writing and plot are clear Discworld quality, the graphics and music are excellent and atmospheric, and the puzzles (if hard) are good, with some very original ideas. Strongly recommended.
It does not matter who I am. What matters is, who will you become? - motto of Omsk BirdLeave a Comment:
The Discworld with Noir Sauce makes one hell of a cold, rain-soaked pizza. But hey, you've got to love it.
They say adventure games are done for. Boring, with little emphasis on graphics or action and requiring too much thinking... Well, they say a lot of things, and it doesn't make them look smarter. Discworld Noir is an unique adventure game, take my word for it. I've played a lot of them. It does have strange graphics, but hey, it's old. And awesome anyway. Who cares if the characters aren't beautifully rendered in realtime, can't run and turn somersaults? The game makes up for it with excellent dialogue, fabulous voice acting and all-encompassing darkness. When the developers said it was Noir, they weren't kidding. The music merits a separate mention, being a pure Noir Essence distilled. The soundtrack is almost indistinguishable from the best "Jazz Noir" there is.
This game gives you an Atmosphere - no wonder those ceiling fans turn so slowly, damn the air is thick with it - the whole gameplay narrated in Private Eye Monologue (you don't get "Crates. Empty." ; you get "The crates piled in the docks were empty. Not that I cared."), and a feel of leading an investigation so real you almost start taking your own notes. Actual objects lugged around are limited to essential minimum, but there is a whole notebook-ful of clues and facts to play with instead. And it works, aptly simulating and actual thought process rather than a mindless Inventory Trawl.
So if you are a plot-and-acting oriented Noir lover like me and want to sink your teeth into a good mystery, this game will hold your breath. If you're a Discworld maniac on top of that, like me, you'll dream you could forget everything after beating the game, so you can do it again. And again.
Ankh-Morpork, here's looking at you.
- Cykuta