Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!?

Perfect Entertainment
Industry	Video game development
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!?

Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!? (known as Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! in North America) is a 1996 point-and-click adventure game inspired by Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, serving as a follow-up to the 1995 Discworld game. Players assume the role of Rincewind, the inept "wizzard," who must locate Death and convince him to end his unexpected retirement. The storyline draws from elements found in Reaper Man and Moving Pictures.

Developed by Perfect Entertainment and released by Psygnosis for PC, this title features the return of Eric Idle as the voice of Rincewind. Ports for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn followed in 1997; the Saturn edition, published by Sega, was available exclusively in Europe. While the game was well-received across Europe, its reception was comparatively muted in North America.

Gameplay

Discworld II is a graphic adventure played from a third-person perspective with point-and-click mechanics. Players navigate various locations, engage with characters and objects, and solve puzzles through item collection and usage. The narrative unfolds over four distinct acts. Inventory management is split between Rincewind, who can carry two items, and the Luggage, which has unlimited storage capacity. Dialogue options include selecting one of four tones—greeting, sarcasm, questioning, or musing—with new conversation topics becoming available as the story progresses. An overhead map aids travel throughout Ankh-Morpork and nearby areas, unlocking additional locations as players advance.

Quick actions allow players to add items to the Luggage or exit scenes via double-clicking. Each act centers on acquiring specific characters and objects essential for progressing the plot, adhering to conventional point-and-click adventure gameplay conventions.

Plot

On his way back from a tavern accompanied by The Librarian, Rincewind witnesses an assassin planting a bomb inside the Fools' Guild. His attempt to defuse it results in an explosion that demolishes the guild and kills its members. This blast also interrupts Death, causing him to vanish while performing his duties. Death’s absence leads to the dead in Ankh-Morpork rising as undead beings. Observing these events, the wizards of Unseen University conduct a ritual to summon Death, assigning Rincewind the task of collecting necessary items.

Death makes a brief appearance but reveals he has taken an indefinite leave, disenchanted with his thankless responsibilities. The Archchancellor commands Rincewind to locate and convince him to resume his role. Death consents only if he receives proper recognition; consequently, Rincewind arranges for Death to star in a film—referred to as 'clickies' on Discworld—produced by Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler. After gathering props and completing production, the movie initially fails until Rincewind inserts footage featuring an Elf Queen, which mesmerizes viewers into acclaim.

Following the film’s success, Death retires to pursue fame as a star. Rincewind then journeys to Death’s domain to take over his duties, undergoing trials administered by Death’s butler Albert. After succeeding in these tests, Rincewind reluctantly accepts the position but declines to reap Death himself when he is assassinated during a publicity stunt. Instead, he revives Death by refilling his hourglass.

Subsequent film screenings cause the Elf Queen to appear gigantic in Ankh-Morpork and abduct The Librarian. After rescuing his friend and reaping Windle Poons’ soul—who humorously comments on his multiple deaths following being crushed by the Elf Queen—Death returns to duty alongside Rincewind as they proceed toward the afterlife.

Development

Released on two CD-ROM discs (with one disc designated for console editions), the game showcases hand-crafted backgrounds, comprehensive voiceover work, and an intuitive user interface. While it is not compatible with Windows XP and subsequent operating systems, modern users can still experience it through emulators such as ScummVM or DOSBox. ScummVM enables the original game files to operate Discworld 2’s Tinsel engine effectively.

Regarding the voice talent, Eric Idle returned to voice Rincewind, whereas Tony Robinson did not participate, and Jon Pertwee had passed away prior to development. The cast also saw the return of Rob Brydon and Kate Robbins, with the addition of Nigel Planer. The character Death of Rats was voiced by an entity known as "Katharine the crocodile," while Brydon lent his voice to multiple characters, including Dibbler, Windle Poons, and Havelock Vetinari.

Reception

According to director Gregg Barnett, Discworld II achieved strong commercial performance in Europe and the United Kingdom but did not meet sales expectations in the United States.

From a critical standpoint, the PC version holds an average score of 80.5% on GameRankings, based on six reviews. In 2011, it was placed 73rd on Adventure Gamers' list of the "Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games," receiving commendations for its more coherent puzzle design compared to its predecessor and its lasting charm attributed to sophisticated cartoon-style visuals. The track "That's Death," composed and performed by Eric Idle with arrangement by Tom Scott, was highlighted by PC Gamer as one of the finest musical pieces in PC gaming.

Critiques often focused on the game's wit and voice performances, although some reviewers mentioned that certain dialogues tended to be excessively lengthy. Crispin Boyer from Electronic Gaming Monthly described it as "hilariously entertaining to the point of never becoming dull," skillfully mixing crude humor with intellectual satire. The animation style received widespread acclaim. The primary criticism centered on abstruse puzzles that encouraged trial-and-error approaches; however, Sega Saturn Magazine considered the puzzles demanding yet fair, noting that helpful clues were provided.

The title earned a 7 out of 10 rating from PlayStation Magazine, which suggested it mainly for enthusiasts of Pratchett’s work. Meanwhile, Next Generation observed that players unfamiliar with the source material might find puzzle-solving difficult, and fans could feel let down by the depiction of characters and environments—highlighting the inherent challenges in translating the Discworld novels into other formats.

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