"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"
Or at least that's what I've been told.
Hotel Dusk is a point and click adventure done in a gumshoe-noirish style for the DS that, when it's hitting on all cylinders, is a real joy to play. When it isn't, it may just lull you to sleep.
You play the game as Kyle Hyde, a door-to-door salesman with a secret. That secret being that Kyle is actually an ex-NYPD detective hunting for clues about his possibly dead, most likely dirty, ex-partner Bradley. The clues have lead Kyle to "Hotel Dusk", a hotel seemingly in the middle of nowhere where every room is a mystery and where every resident (also) has a secret. Eventually plots and characters collide and the ultimate mystery case is (kinda) cracked.
The controls consist of using the touch screen to drag Kyle thru an overhead map, a map which is also displayed on the top screen in a 3D representation. Cues will light up on the touch screen letting you know that there are items of interest for you to look at. Touching this cue will allow you to touch (examine) those items in the 3D environment. Touching items can also lead to the activation of puzzles along the way, which in turn will unlock progression thru the game's plot. The other play mechanic involves conversations with all the other NPCs in the game. These conversations are also intended to move the plot along with a series of Q&As.
One of Hotel Dusk's biggest pluses has to be it's overall presentation. This is a game that, quite simply, could not be done with as much style on any other system outside of a PC and mouse. The game really embraces the unique features of the DS and integrates them into Hotel Dusk in interesting ways. Everything from the touch screen, to the mic, even to the systems sleep function are used, with one or two moments along the way that are simple yet brilliant. I also have to give major kudos to the localization work done on Hotel Dusk. This is easily one of the best translations of any game, ever, and the tone of the conversations is perfect. It absolutely captures the noir vibe that it's going for.
With that said, Hotel Dusk ended up feeling a bit lesser than the sum of its parts. Puzzles can be interesting, but are few and far between, and for the most part the most logical solution will likely serve you well. The game also has a very bad habit of holding your hand. Conversations with others end up being nothing more than the game telling to "go *here* and do *that*". The "herding" in this game really makes it feel that there are very few moments where the actions were having any real consequence on the ultimate outcome of the game. The only real way to prematurely end the game is by asking the wrong questions during conversations, and it seems like the only way to ask the wrong questions is by being a jerk, hence blunting the challenge quite a bit. I also felt like the conversations versus puzzles ratio could have used a bit more balancing. Conversations are dominant in this game and conversations are teeth grindingly long too. So long that the pacing of the story is pretty much ruined. This game and story are REALLY lacking in the "big moments" department because when they do arrive the pacing lets you see them coming from a million miles away. Add in that the actual plot isn't really all that engaging, and I found myself doing quite a bit of yawning and experiencing a lot of "so what" moments as the NPC secrets are revealed. I also have to knock a few points off because of Hotel Dusk's unforgiving, linear path. Once you've finished the game there is really no reason at all to go back and try it again because it's rigid plot gives the game a big "seen it once, seen it all" thumbs down.
In the end Hotel Dusk is a game that I really wanted to love, and I'd be more than willing to give CING (or anyone really) a second chance, but what's here is pretty hit or miss. It's fun for it's DS uniqueness, and it's a nice showpiece, but that really wears off after only a couple of hours. The interactive story is fun, but real decision making is practically nonexistent, as is consequence for any of your actions. If they could tweak the puzzle aspects, speed up the pacing, and even switch up the plot contents, I could see myself having an absolute blast with this kind of game. Give me a Tom Clancy style espionage plot, but with a Hotel Dusk interface, and branching paths and I am SO there. I could even get behind a sci-fi story or even something along the lines of a Silent Hill or Resident Evil. But give me a Mickey Spillane/Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett gumshoe detective in a bland environment with a linear path, straightforward plot, and simplistic puzzles and I tend to lose interest.
Hotel Dusk, at its core, is definitely a unique experience for the DS platform, but the actual game and plot are underwhelming when it's all said and done. Good for a rental, but I can't wholeheartedly recommend it for purchase.
+Totally unique experience for the DS
+Great localization
-Ultimately bland story
-No replay value
-Needs a better balance between the puzzle and story elements
