You are Kyle Hyde, 33 years old. Former cop turned door-to-door
salesman, you’re in search of your friend Brian Bradley. Three years
ago, he turned on you while you were both on the force and gave special
information to the other side. He hasn’t been seen since. Your jobs
leads you to a run down joint called Hotel Dusk, where Room 215 has a
mysterious past, as do all the guests. Will you find your friend, or
will you turn up with absolutely no lead?
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is, at it’s core, a point and click adventure
game. As Kyle Hyde, you explore the hotel and learn of the mysteries it
and its guests hold. There are a few quirks that make this title shine,
while it also has certain drawbacks.
One of the many interesting features of this game is the way it’s
played. For one, you hold the DS sideways, like a book or a journal. On
the top screen, you see a 3D view of your surroundings, while on the
touch screen there’s a map of the hotel with an arrow on it. The arrow
represents Kyle and the direction he’s facing. You press the area on
the touch screen that you’d like to go to and Kyle will move there. If
you hold it, he’ll continue to walk in that direction. If you change
the direction of the stylus, Kyle will do the same. It feels a bit
awkward at first, but it becomes comfortable within 15-20 minutes.
As you walk around Hotel Dusk, you’ll encounter a number of people to
interact with. If they’re essential to your goal at the time, then
you’ll be drawn into a conversation with them. If not, then they’ll
just say a sentence or two and get on with their lives. You’ll also run
into many puzzles and interactive objects throughout your stay. The
puzzles are good, for the most part. There aren’t many of them
throughout the game, and when you finish one they usually don’t feel
all that satisfying. Many of them are quite fun, though and require you
to think deeply and inventively. You’ll be surprised at how many things
you’ll have to do with your DS that you wouldn’t think would be
essential to the game play, but turn out to fit perfectly once you
figure it out.
You’ll also get a memo pad in your inventory that you carry around with
you. You can scribble in it and take notes on things you might think
will be important in the future. Along with the memo pad, you’ll
collect other varied items that are essential to the plot and the
puzzles.
The main game play aspect is in the dialogue between you and the other
characters. There is a massive amount of text in this game, more than
most 30-hour RPGs. This may turn people away, but it is actually the
strong point of the game. The “boss battles” of this game come in the
form of intense conversation between Kyle and the character that is
mainly involved with that part of the story. As you progress through
the dialogue, you’ll be required to ask and answer questions by
choosing from selections on the touch screen. Say the wrong thing, and
it’s game over; choose correctly, and you’ll advance.
The story and the characters are, quite honestly, phenomenally written.
The plot is deep and involving, and the believable characters support
it wonderfully. You’ll most likely want to keep reading just to find
out the smallest details about something. Overall, the story is
intriguing and suspenseful and, depending on what ending you get,
you’ll have a very satisfied feeling. Chances are, you’ll probably play
it again to see what you can do differently. Adding to the replay value
are a couple side quests that let you get a few extra items and cut
scenes.
The art direction of Hotel Dusk is amazing. The environments are in 3D,
with full color, while all the characters are in black and white and
appear to be sketched in pencil. This adds a nice contrast to the game
and really helps add to the detective-like feel.
The sound is good overall. There aren’t that many tracks in the game,
but what’s there really fits with the feel of the environment and just
the game in general. Whenever you solve a puzzle, there’s a nice jingle
that chimes briefly, which may or may not remind you of The Legend of
Zelda.
Although the game may take you up to 20 hours, it’ll probably turn out
longer because of having to start again after a game over screen, which
is pretty lengthy for a handheld point-and-click game. If you’re a fan
of puzzle solving, an amazing story, or deep characters, then you’ll
probably be pleased with Hotel Dusk: Room 215.
