Stay at Hotel Dusk and find yourself tangled in a web of mystery (Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS))

Member Name: littlejo1986

Product:	Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)
Date:	11/07/09 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, addictive, interesting story line

Disadvantages: Frustrating when you can't figure out what to do next!

Dec . 28, 1979. Kyle Hyde, a disgraced New York detective turned salesman for Red Crown, arrives at a remote inn called Hotel Dusk. Once there Hyde finds himself embroiled in a mystery of lies, betrayal, and murder. And over the course of the night, he will also discover something very special about Room 215... a room that is said to grant wishes.

But who is Kyle Hyde? Why is he haunted by his past? And what happened in Room 215? Only by taking the stylus in hand and navigating through the story's twists and turns can you learn the answers.

Source: www.hoteldusk.com
I tried to come up with my own introduction to this review but after reading that I couldn't think of anything more appropriate.

Hotel Dusk; Rom 215 is an interactive novel for the Nintendo DS and was released in the UK in April 2007. You play the game as Kyle Hyde, an ex New York detective, dismissed from the job after shooting your friend and partner Brian Bradley. Bradley betrayed you and the force while you were working on a case - a gang called Nile, who were dealing in stolen art. Bradley's body was never recovered and Hyde still hasn't forgiven himself. Three years down the line he is still searching for Bradley, he wants to know why.

Your stay at Hotel Dusk lasts only one night but during the course of the evening you meet various characters from all walks of life, who all seem to be connected to the mysterious Angel painting. You spend the night talking to these characters and helping them solve tasks and puzzles, each one bringing you one clue closer to Bradley. When you're talking to people, things they say may be of particular interest to Hyde and will appear on the screen in orange or red writing. Both colours prompt a question although I believe orange questions can be asked to anyone, red questions are more important and are asked to the character you're currently speaking to. Be careful what you say though, if you say the wrong thing, or ask the wrong question at the wrong time it's game over! Several times I found myself going back to my room where I'd spend the rest of the night, and a couple of times Dunning even threw me out of the hotel! Oops!

You navigate Hyde using your stylus. You can choose to be left or right handed, and the touch screen is a map with a red circle to drag around (that's Hyde, other characters appear in blue), and the top touch screen (or the right screen if like me you're left handed) is a first person view of what Hyde can see. Use the magnifying glass to look at something closer, click the flashing person to interact with someone and click the notebook if you want to make notes. Talking to people isn't the only way to find information. Every room, hallway and corridor you pass through has many different things you can look at. To begin with the only room you can access is your own, and the communal areas, IE: reception, the lobby, the hallways. You also can't access the restaurant at first but if you look at everything you'll find out why soon enough. As you play through the game you end up with access to near enough every room (I believe 220 is the only room you never actually go inside). Even though they all look the same, make sure to explore each and every one. Even if the dresser looks the same as the one in the last room, ALWAYS have a look. God know how much time I wasted wondering up and down the corridors trying to find someone to talk to when I'd actually already been in the right place from the beginning!

Rather than being played in the traditional levels format, Hotel Dusk is played in chapters. There are ten chapters each one closes with an inevitably long conversation with someone and then a five question quiz following that to summarise everything in that chapter (that is, providing you don't end up back in your room in a sulk!) The game is also characterised with quirky little remarks from Hyde as you nose your way around. When you're looking at the paintings which all seem to be still life fruit paintings he comments on how unsurprising it is, and my favourite comments were upon trying to gain access to Dunning-Smith's room, "It's locked. And here's me without a key... Or an axe."

Louis and Rosa are your two most important aids at Hotel Dusk. Rosa the "wonder maid" as Hyde calls her, is the maid at the Hotel. Although she does everything from cleaning to cooking and certainly enjoys talking to the other residents, seemingly about the other residents! If you need to know anything or have questions, Rosa is more than likely just around the corner and happy to have a chat. Louis also works at the Hotel, he is the bellhop. He likes to think he works hard but the only job he really works hard at, and does well, is behind the bar. From the beginning there is a love/hate relationship between Hyde and Louis. They make a good pair as Hyde is moody and sarcastic whereas Louis is a more carefree kinda guy with an upbeat attitude to life. It's established from the beginning that Louis and Hyde knew each other in New York when Hyde was still a cop and Louis was a pick-pocket.

**This is actually kind of a spoiler for the game but isn't actually pivotal and if you only have one chance to do it. You will discover as you explore the hotel that there are stickers with a star on them and a number inside the star. Instructions for this mini-game are on the drinks machine in the lounge. You will need coins to complete this mini-game but hide only has notes. Take this money out of his suitcase before chapter 4. When you get to chapter 4 and speak with Dunning, show him the money and he will give you some change. After I found all the stickers I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do so read a walkthrough and it turns out this is the one and only time you can do it so don't forget!

In total this game took me around 25 hours to complete (I can't be too sure as it only tells you the duration of play just after you've saved and only flashes up briefly so I missed my last count!) and I had it for around 4 days. I really couldn't put it down. I even had a dream one night that I was in the game but it was a very bizarre dream only loosely related to the story and I'm pregnant so it's to be expected! I really was engrossed in the story though. It doesn't take much to figure out what's going on and my guesses as to the next bit in the story were usually right. I would really like to see it made into a real book as it's definitely one that I'd buy.

There are so many games out there that are praised for their beautiful scenery, thick plot lines and imaginative worlds, for example final fantasy and the likes. But these games tend to bore me. I love the fact that you spend the entire game in a dingy run down hotel that isn't much to look at. What drives this game is the players own imagination. There aren't animated scenes, the only animation really is when you are in conversation with someone, Hyde is on one DS screen and the other character on the other. They are animated in a sort of sketched fashion and move every so often with a change of facial expression. The only sounds are the occasional sound effects (echoes when walking around the basement or the change in the sound of footsteps from a hard surface to carpet), and the music which is all that is needed to change the atmosphere when needed and always (appropriately) sounds like it's from a low budget 70's movie.


Lastly, I would recommend this game to anyone who likes a bit of mystery and wants something a bit more grown up, and also to anyone who likes reading but can't seem to focus on a book for longer than 5 minutes (I'm trying in vain to get through a book at the moment that I started in January...) I paid £17.99 for mine from Gamestation but if you're a bit more patient than I am try ebay or amazon, they might have it cheaper. I went off my DS for a while because I was over the novelty of Mario and other platformers and just wanted to give something a bit different a go. Don't get me wrong I still LOVE Mario but if there's another game to come out like Hotel Dusk I will preorder it and hopefully take a little longer to complete it! (I've heard Prof. Layton and the Curious Village is similar so keep an eye out for a review of that in a couple of month's time as that's what I traded Hotel Dusk for!)

Summary: I've honestly never been so addicted to a game before!