Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a Nintendo DS title that appears to have been overlooked. The lack of any effective marketing, an enigmatic title, and horrible box-art probably didn’t do Cing, it’s little-known developer, any favors. I’ve had Hotel Dusk in my collection since its release, but I hadn’t spent any time with it until recently. Quality adventure games are a few and far between these days, and finishing Professor Layton left me wanting more point-and-click goodness.
Hotel Dusk is pretty standard fare for the genre. As an ex-police officer-turned door-to-door salesman, Kyle Hyde is sent to Hotel Dusk on business. Once there, he begins to uncover clues that could help him solve mysteries from his past. Holding the DS sideways, you’ll use the stylus to move around, solve puzzles, talk to hotel staff and guests, and collect clues. It’s appropriate that you’ll be holding the DS as you would a book, because the vast majority of the time you play Hotel Dusk will be spent reading. While the narrative is interesting and you’ll find yourself eager to advance the plot, the absolutely dreadful pacing will certainly drive some people insane. Although I think the 10+ chapters each span about 20 minutes of the narrative, completing each chapter will take roughly one hour. It’s exhausting at times, but I’m enjoying it so far.
Visually, Hotel Dusk bears an uncanny resemblance to A-Ha’s Take On Me. It’s an interesting approach that really sets the game apart from anything I’ve seen before. Unfortunately, the characters’ slow, methodical movements only emphasize the game’s horrific pacing issues. Still, I can’t help but be drawn into the narrative. I hope to have a review up at some point, but I’m taking my time with the game and only playing for a few minutes each night before bed.
Have any of you played the game? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
Posted by brianfishman 
