I love most genres of gaming, some more so than others. Shooters, fighters, more shooters…I try to keep a full plate on deck so that there's always something that grabs my attention, but if there's one genre in particular that's really fallen by the wayside, it's the graphical adventure game. But I can't take all the blame, because truth by told there's been something of a drought of them for quite awhile now, as the once-popular style has taken a backseat to more accessible, action-packed alternatives. That's not to say that I've grown out of the style, and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for the Nintendo DS just might be one of those games that questions me to why I forgot this genre in the first place. I’m typically not an adventure/mystery gamers, but it did draw me back into a genre that many had presumed dead long ago.
The story introduces Kyle Hyde (you) as a lone traveling salesman who previously worked for the NYPD during the 1970’s who’s looking for his former partner. As you can tell Kyle's no ordinary salesman, as he's also on the job to find things that other people would rather have kept hidden. As storyline may have it your search brings you Hotel Dusk and the mysteries surrounding it. Sounds pretty cool, huh?
The gameplay has a unique adventure/mystery hybrid feel, and makes good use of that stylus, whether you’re moving your character or searching for clues the stylus will be your best friend. You'll be switching from 3D to 2D menu screens, holding the DS like a notebook (ala Brain Age) to help make things a bit easier, too. Action is minimal, because you’ll be talking to suspects, searching for clues, and handling new situations as they come up, and as you might have guessed there’s lots of it.
You’d think that would be a bad thing in today’s gaming world, I’d have to scold you since questioning your perps is probably the best thing for this game. Talking to people not only requires you to ‘think’ what the best response is, but also involves remembering past conversations to get some of the clues you need. How you go about this process can determine how difficult the game is – something other games should make note of. Besides intuitive interrogations, clues can be obtained through several mini-game scenarios. From picking locks to lifting heavy objects, and sometimes using a combination to solve a mystery or two. These mini-games add new dimensions to the gameplay, and they're a very nice touch of interaction while playing detective.
Although adventure types like this aren't normally known for their graphical prowess, the strange blend of different styles employed here works wonders. Rather than have a completely 3D adventure (which the DS hardware handles quite well), most of the storytelling is done through very impressive hand-drawn artwork. Plus, in terms of design you’ve got a winner here, with both the character designs and art style being excellent, and really standing out. The look is clean and sketchy, and really suits the nature of the game, working well with the mysterious presence that's conveyed. As you might know, I'm quite the fan of anything that's hand drawn, so having the game rely so much on actual artwork was quite the bonus for me.
Most of the music in the game has a distinct 1950’s feel to it, and is surprisingly well suited for the genre. It shouldn't come as a shocker that the dialogue actually relies on text rather than voice to add depth to the characters, so talking is filled in with various beeps and noises. All things considered, it's probably best for everyone that the dialogue in this game is required reading as it adds the necessary mystery that speaking tends to remove from these types of adventures.
With the rabid success the DS seems to be having for alternative genres of gaming, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see true adventure gaming make a comeback. Hotel Dusk has plenty going for it, and thanks to the incredible presentation and variety of interactions it's so much more than just a novelty on the system, and really helps excite the genre in new ways. Although the style may seem a bit slow for those expecting magic trolls and wizard spells, if you haven’t played it yet I suggest you give it a whirl – you might just start to appreciate the starving genre of adventure games and find a new favorite.
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02/12/07
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E
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Nintendo
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