Publisher: GT Interactive
Developer: Perfect (now, Teeny Weeny Games)
Review by Boudicca on 6/29/00
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First
Impressions:
"Here's
Oooking at you, kid"
For those of you who have already investigated the world of Terry
Pratchett, you will recognize that title as a pun on the Librarian's
language. For the rest of you, it's a pun on Film Noir, combined
with a word from the Librarian's language, who just happens to be
an orangutan. Confused? You will be. This is a game set on the mean
streets of Ankh-Morpork, the largest city on the Discworld. Its
a "point and click" with a very big twist - but I'm not telling
what it is....
You don't need to have a comprehensive knowledge of Terry Pritchett's
invention for this game, although your enjoyment will be enhanced
if you have already read some of the books, for in it, you will
meet a lot of the characters from the game: Detritus, the mentally
challenged, but oh-so-enthusiastic Sergeant; The Grim Reaper, Death,
and the Grim Squeaker, the Death of Rats; Nobby, the less than fragrant
Corporal and Vimes - the embittered Watch Commander.
I was expecting a spoof on the Film Noir Genre, and from the very
first scene and introduction I wasn't disappointed. The hero's voice,
loving done by Robert Llewellyn (he of Kryten from Red Dwarf fame)
grated on me a bit, as it wasn't "Bogart" enough for me but after
I while I got used to it. The backgrounds are all a muddy brownish-black;
there isn't one scene that doesn't reflect the seamy side of life
and Gaspode, the talking dog.
Graphics:
Eye
Candy it ain't. This isn't a "pretty game" but it's damn well
done. Each backdrop is beautifully detailed and believable, and
there are a lot of them, from Lewton's Office, to a Cemetery,
to the Temple of Small Gods. The characters are well drawn - the
only quibble I would have is that because of the necessary darkness
of the game, sometimes it is difficult to make out who is who.
Personally I didn't like Lewton's (our Hero the PI) raincoat -
I thought it was too long - but that's just me, being picky.
Sound/Music:
Can't
fault it - it was Film Noir throughout, saxophones, piano (play
it, Sam!) and mood music galore. The Genre screams out for music,
without it, the game wouldn't have been the same. There are little
music "prompts" for when you have found something useful, which
goes into your inventory box - handy, coz its easy to miss that
you may have picked something up. As well as Robert Llewellyn,
other voice talent is supplied by Nigel Planer (he of "Neil" the
hippy in "The Young Ones"
Gameplay:
Very
simple to play - however you have to have an inquiring mind. Its
no good thinking, "oh look, there's a nice rat" you have to think
"oh look, there's a rat, why is there a rat?" None of the problems
are the hideously devious type as found in Discworld One - you
don't pick up a lot, but what you do is used. The emphasis is
on what is said rather than on what you find. You must talk to
everyone, and although your notepad will remember key points,
its often the case that you should write down your own notes,
to remind you of what people said.
Be warned...There are VERY few red herrings... At the beginning
of the game you will find that suddenly you have more objectives
than you think you can cope with, but be logical, think like a
Private Investigator; trust no one and you'll be OK.
Enjoyment:
I
loved it - because I had been waiting for such a long time for
it to come out, I whizzed through it in record time, however there
were two of us playing it - so I had help. If I had been playing
it by myself, I dare say I would be either stuck on Act 2 (there
are four acts in all) or reaching for the walkthrough at regular
intervals!
Multiplayer:
N/A
Overall
Impression:
An
excellent game, certainly the best of the series so far. Lets
hope they don't do what the Developers of Broken Sword did and
not follow up such a good game. It looks good, it sounds good,
its an intriguing play, it keeps you hooked...oh, and did I mention
the twist? No Film Noir worth its convoluted plot would dare not
have a twist. This one is a doozy - Its something I have never
encountered in a game before. Its not even mentioned in the Booklet
so it was completely unexpected. No, I'm still not telling.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
Nada.
Didn't even see any marketing efforts to the human race. I think
the publishers were banking on the fact that the Discworld Fans
would buy it regardless. I dare say they were right.
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