Hotel Dusk Review

So, I know that Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was developed by a game company called Cing, but it was published by Nintendo and released on the DS, so I think it deserves a mention on a Nintendo-themed blog.  And besides that, it's one of the most entertaining games I've played in a long time.

Hotel Dusk is about an ex-cop-turned salesman named Kyle Hyde who is looking for his former partner in the NYPD, a man named Brian Bradley.  Bradley betrayed the NYPD to a crime syndicate called Nile, leading Kyle to shoot him.  Bradley survived, however, and has been missing ever since.  Before he can find Bradley, though, Kyle has to make a delivery to Hotel Dusk, an inn packed to the brim with secrets.  How the hotel and Bradley's disappearance are connected is up to you to find out.

The name's Hyde...Kyle Hyde.

In case you couldn't tell by that paragraph, Hotel Dusk's story is very compelling and the main reason why I like this game so much.  A game doesn't always need an amazing story to be fun (rescuing Princess Peach for the eight millionth time would get old fast if the Mario games didn't have amazing gameplay, snappy dialogue, and catchy music), but games which combine stellar gameplay with a great story tend to make the largest impact (Majora's Mask, I'm looking at you).

For me, a large part of this game's enjoyment factor stems from Kyle's interactions with the other characters.  At first glance, Kyle seems like the stereotypically blunt ex-cop, but his conversations with a little girl named Melissa, for example, reveal his softer side.  One of the puzzles literally requires Kyle to help Melissa put her jigsaw puzzle together.  Some players may feel these puzzles are tacked on, but I enjoyed them because they furthered the character development.  One of Hotel Dusk's greatest strengths, then, is making activities which would be mundane in other games (e.g. connecting dots, rubbing a pen with chalk, etc.) fun.  If you're skeptical, don't worry--I was too.  But every one of these activities--no matter how seemingly insignificant or mundane--drives the plot forward.  And best of all, when you solve the puzzles, you feel smart.  And who doesn't like feeling smart?

Look!  Kyle's smiling!  You better take a picture because it won't last long.  ;)

Even I, though, will admit that some players may be disappointed with Hotel Dusk because it's a very text-heavy game.  The plot tends to drive the gameplay, rather than the other way around.  Personally, I had no problem with this, as I love to read and write when I'm not playing video games.  But some gamers may be bored with reading text box after text box, especially since there's no easy way to skip the dialogue.  But even if there was a way to skip the dialogue, you'd be missing out on the game's most important feature: its story.  This is one game that excels because of its story--strip that away and you're left with a point-and-click adventure much like any other.  In other words, you will love Hotel Dusk only if you enjoy character-driven stories.

So, if you like a good yarn like me, pick up this game NOW.  I bought it for only 20 clams on Amazon.  I honestly wasn't expecting much from this game, but Kyle's adventure stole a good 15-20 hours out of my life, and I couldn't be happier.  Fortunately for me, this game has a sequel too called Last Window: The Secret of Cape West.  I'm off to go play that game right about...now.

*First picture from this link: <http://kylehydedoingthings.tumblr.com/>

*Second picture from this link: <http://kylehydedoingthings.tumblr.com/post/11495638998/kyle-hyde-appreciates-a-meal>

*Third picture from this link: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Dusk:_Room_215>