Review thegroove 4/5 · Mar 13, 2025
"That Doesn't Work"
Platform - PC
Discworld is a classic 90s point-and-click adventure based on Terry Pratchett’s fantasy series. It’s packed with witty dialogue, charming 2D visuals and one of the most notoriously obtuse puzzle designs in the genre. While the humour and world building do a lot of heavy lifting, the game’s frustrating logic could test the patience of even the most …
Platform - PC
Discworld is a classic 90s point-and-click adventure based on Terry Pratchett’s fantasy series. It’s packed with witty dialogue, charming 2D visuals and one of the most notoriously obtuse puzzle designs in the genre. While the humour and world building do a lot of heavy lifting, the game’s frustrating logic could test the patience of even the most even tempered of dwarves.
Gameplay
As a traditional point-and-click adventure, Discworld follows the familiar gameplay loop: talk to characters, find objects, combine objects, and use them in increasingly bizarre ways to progress. The game’s puzzle design can be incredibly frustrating, expect to try everything on everything and hear the line "That doesn't work" repeated ad infinitum. Back when this game came out, a particularly difficult puzzle involving butterflies caused me to put this game down in frustration. Two years later I found a walkthrough in a magazine that enabled me (at long last) to finish the game.
Story
You control Rincewind (voiced by Eric Idle) an incompetent wizard. A secretive cult has summoned a dragon, it’s up to Rincewind to uncover its whereabouts and stop it.
Being set in the Discworld universe, the game is filled with eccentric characters (The Librarian, Dibbler), iconic locations (Unseen University, The Shades) and plenty of references to Pratchett’s works. Fans of the books will appreciate the world building and references, while newcomers can still enjoy the absurdity and humour of the game.
Graphics & Sound
The hand-drawn 2D art is vibrant and charming, capturing the whimsical feel of Discworld.
The voice acting is a standout feature, with Eric Idle delivering a fantastic performance as Rincewind. Other characters are also well voiced bringing the world to life. Stand outs for me are Dibbler, Windlepoons and and Carrot (voiced by Tony Robinson, Jon Pertwee and Rob Brydon respectively). The music is solid throughout.
Verdict
Discworld is funny, charming, and faithful to its source material. However, its puzzle design can make it a tough recommendation. Having said that, with access to walkthrough this game will be a breeze and you can just enjoy the stellar voice acting and writing without the frustration.
Score:
A must play for Discworld fans but use of a guide is essential for some of the more obtuse puzzles.
8/10
