Discworld
Description official descriptions
This adventure game puts the player in the shoes of Rincewind, a wizard whose sole purpose in life is to stay alive. He appears to be very good at it as well, because apparently the universe has decided to continuously challenge him. The game takes place in the humorous fantasy world created by Terry Pratchett. The world is called the Discworld, as it is actually a flat disc carried on the backs of four gigantic elephants, which themselves stand on the back of an even larger turtle.
The story is loosely based on the novel "Guards! Guards!". Both in the book and the game, a dragon is summoned by a group of mysterious conspirators and now terrorizes the city state of Ankh-Morpork. Being the most expendable wizard of the Unseen University, Rincewind is given the task to get rid of the beast (only in the game though; in the book, the city's nightwatch has to deal with the problem).
Discworld is a classical point-and-click adventure game with a few original features. For example, Rincewind's inventory is limited to two objects, and the majority of his belongings is stored in the Luggage, an intelligent chest with dozens of little feet. Furthermore, at a certain point in the game the player gains access to a time-traveling device and has to send Rincewind to the past and back in order to solve some of the puzzles.
Spellings
- עולם הדיסק - Hebrew spelling
- ディスクワールド - Japanese spelling
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Credits (DOS version)
84 People (78 developers, 6 thanks) · View all
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 84% (based on 44 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 104 ratings with 5 reviews)
The Good
What I liked most about this game was the graphical representation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Having been a fan of the novels, I enjoyed visiting Unseen University, quibbling with CMOD, and calling the librarian a monkey.
I thought Idle did a great job voicing Rincewind, although the game lacked the dry wit and timing of Python. Also the controls were very good and the game was stable. And um... well it's a game, isn't it? yup.
The Bad
When Discworld is funny, it is very funny. When it isn't, it's grating. Some of the puzzles are illogical in a Discworldian way. Some are just nonsensical for the sake of being nonsensical. As the game progressed, I became further and further indebted to a walkthrough. This was not because the game increased in difficulty, but rather obscurity.
There were also specific gameplay issues that were annoying. Characters (sprites) would flicker and disappear, sound would drop in and out, dialogue would be repeated- shown in subtitles and then spoken- or shown only in subtitles such as the ever illuminating "--------?".
Finally, Eric Idle has a distinctive voice. Apparently additional dialogue was needed and Idle wasn't available so sometimes Rincewind's voice changes drastically.
The Bottom Line
Discworld follows the Campbellian hero quest of Rincewind the Wizard (voiced by Eric Idle) as he attempts to defeat (or at least circumvent) a dragon. The town of Ankh-Morpork is the setting for this quest and Rincewind must explore many colorful locations in his attempt to avoid Death (who seems rather lonely).
DOS · by Terrence Bosky (5397) · 2001
The Good
This game successfully brought the magic of Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" to the computer game format. The plot is similar to "Guards! Guards!", although Rincewind is cast as the protagonist this time around.
Eric Idle does a fantastic job as the voice of Rincewind, and the other actors' performances are also well done.
Several concepts from the Discworld novels are translated into interesting game mechanics, most noticeably the use of "L-Space". Using L-Space, you are able to travel back to the previous night, which is necessary to perform a few crucial actions and change history a tiny bit.
The music is catchy and engaging, and serves as a nice complement to the graphics. The graphics themselves are drawn in an attractive cartoon-ish style that seems to draw inspiration from Josh Kirby's famed Discworld illustrations.
The entire game is quite immersive. I certainly felt as if I were wandering the streets of Ankh-Morpork. The game looked, sounded, and felt pretty much how I imagined Discworld to be like while reading the novels, and the patent humor was still present.
The Bad
Sometimes, the solutions to the puzzles were rather outlandish, as one might expect. I had to seek help on some of the more illogical ones.
Other than that, I have no complaints.
The Bottom Line
A must-play game for fans of the Discworld series, and highly recommended for adventure gamers with a sense of humor.
Don't be embarrassed to look for hints or solutions to some of the more outlandish puzzles.
DOS · by Halleck (389) · 2005
The Good
Terry Pratchet writes some of the funniest dialogue in any computer game. A highlight is the conversation with the court jester. The puzzles are true to the book series, and the solutions make sense (at least if you've read the books). The graphics are rather cartoony, but well done.
The Bad
The biggest problem with this game is it's awkward interface. Often, you spend as much time trying to get the character to do what you want as you do deciding what you want him to do. Also, there are occasional problems with graphics distorting and making it difficult to play.
The Bottom Line
A very original game, extremely enjoyable, but with some technical problems which interfere with gameplay.
DOS · by Blacksun (89) · 2000
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Re: Installation Disk? | Rwolf (22826) | Mar 31, 2017 |
Installation Disk? | Gonchi (3590) | Dec 3, 2007 |
Trivia
CD-ROM version
The CD-ROM version features full voice acting, including British actor Eric Idle, known from Monty Python.
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Discworld Fan Site
A Discworld Fan Site -
Hints for Discworld
Discworld Hints -
ScummVM
supports Discworld under Windows, Linux, Macintosh and other platforms.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Tomer Gabel.
Macintosh added by Alsy. SEGA Saturn added by keth. PlayStation added by Adam Baratz.
Additional contributors: MAT, Roger Wilco, Itay Brenner, Jeanne, Foxhack, Crawly, ケヴィン, Macs Black, Patrick Bregger, Ingsoc.
Game added August 5, 1999. Last modified March 13, 2024.