Given the truly staggering number of games released for the Nintendo DS since its launch some five years ago, you’d be forgiven for missing some of the true gems buried beneath the big name titles and the shovelware.  As an early 2007 release, the touch based Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was unfortunately overshadowed by new installments from franchises like Castlevania, as well as the untimely DS debuts of The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon. Though critically praised, it was ultimately one of the best overlooked games on the platform.

The descriptor “interactive novel” is aptly applied to Hotel Dusk; the opening sequence flows like a well-written mystery narrative. A limited-info flashback introduces the player to Kyle Hyde, an NYPD detective who turns in his badge after his partner Brian Bradley betrays him. Deeply scarred by Bradley’s treachery, Hyde chooses to leave his past behind and becomes a salesman for the Red Crown company in California. Three years later, an assignment leads him to Hotel Dusk, a rundown hotel near Los Angeles. When he learns that a recent guest checked in under his name, Hyde has no choice but to uncover the secrets of the hotel’s guests and the ties to his own past.

The story is told mostly through character dialogue, interspersed with flashbacks or Hyde’s own internal monologues. Revolving mainly around the twin ideas of error and redemption in the lives of the hotel guests, the storyline is a heavy one to be sure. Murder, kidnapping and blackmail are all fair game at Hotel Dusk. But more importantly, so are anxiety, regret and sorrow; they are the dominant emotions you’ll come across during conversations with the people down the hall. These people aren’t merely soulless NPCs, they’re characters with meaningful depth and feeling, something that comes across effortlessly whenever they converse with you. Through a combination of well-crafted dialogue that is unique for each character and the detailed brushwork used to give each guest detailed facial expressions, conversations feel genuine and create (at least in me) a fondness and familiarity towards them.

Along with the beautiful black and white caricatures, Hotel Dusk sports a water color environment complete with patches of white along the edges, as if the scene was painted on a canvas. During play the DS is held, appropriately enough, “book style”, with the touchscreen on the right or left (depending on your handedness).  The regular screen provides a 3D water colored view used for indentifying specific items in the environment, and the touch screen shows a top down map-style perspective. Movement is controlled either by dragging the stylus or using the directional pad. Aside from a few instances, the stylus is the only thing necessary for interaction.  

The gameplay itself strikes a good balance between talking to and questioning characters and item-based environmental puzzles, and only at the end does it become dialogue centered. Very rarely should you find yourself unsure of how to progress, since the game itself is very linear and often leads you from one instance to another, though there are some puzzles that require some extra though, or just common sense.  While there are no “boss battles” to speak of, there are several pivotal conversations where the game can actually end should you choose a dialogue option incorrectly, though the answer is usually easy to spot and you are given the option to retry the conversation if you fail.

To add to the atmosphere, the game boasts an impressive soundtrack, with a smattering of pieces that range from upbeat and intense to moody and sorrowful. Though you may not notice it in the background as you peruse the halls of the Dusk, the music adds an invisible and significant layer to the feel of the hotel. And should you progress far enough, you’ll be rewarded with access to a jukebox where every song can be listened to in its entirety.

If you have little or no interest in things like character development, heavy emphasis on dialogue or a complex, multilayered narrative, then chances are good that you will be turned off by Hotel Dusk. If you aren’t that person, and you’re willing took sink some time into a good game, then enjoy your stay. It’s worth it.