Well, now. Would you look at that? That's different, isn't it? That's Hotel Dusk: Room 215, a Nintendo DS point and click detective mystery about a magic hotel room, starring hand-drawn rotoscoped characters with a hint of anime about them. Well, more than a hint, but not full-on. Well, not much. I'm waffling.
I've never seen nor heard of Hotel Dusk in my life until the time came for me to play it here, and like hotel owner Dunning Smith says, it has certainly caught my interest.
It may look like a music video, but how does it play?
Fun Times
I'm emulating Hotel Dusk, hence the giant red screen separator down the middle, and it hasn't taken long at all for my interest levels to be really raise. Artwork reminiscent of watercolour, and wobbly pencil doodles make for a fantastic sight as we see detective Kyle Hyde kick back at his desk in the 89th Precinct, New York City.
His day is about to take a turn for the worse as he appears to shoot his partner, Brian Bradley, only for it to turn out to be a dream.
Well, something happened between Kyle and Brian, but it happened in the past, as Kyle is now a door-to-door salesman. Ever the detective, however, his hunt for what happened to Brian has brought him to Hotel Dusk, a mysterious place out in the middle of nowhere.
After surveying the scene, your view flops between first-person on one side, with its blurry, often awkward to look at 3D scenery, and a top-down map on the other, where you drag Kyle around the space.
As you're holding the Nintendo DS like a book, putting it all on the stylus is the best way to go, especially because it's almost impossible to see where you're going in the 3D view, especially if you're drawing blind on the other screen to move.
Walk over to something of interest and you can take a closer look at it, where Kyle will be able to tell us his inner thoughts or, more usefully, interact with an object and get the plot moving along.
That plot kicks off with Dunning finally answering the bell and welcoming us to his hotel. A few multiple-choice options steer the conversation one way or the other, but mostly what you're getting here is a somewhat slow, somewhat simple script between written out before your face.
It's not voiced - the DS can only do so much - so you're left with some music that attempts to convey the tone of the conversation, some basic animation (or alternative poses is perhaps the best descriptor), and, for me, the desire for there to be just a little bit more to read at once.
I felt like it took a while for Dunning to cough that up, though. All the dialogue is slow and deliberate. In fact, if there's one negative about Hotel Dusk to remember, it's the pace of it all. It's a point and click, not an action title, but it's so leisurely that it feels like it's padding for time or something.
Anyway, moving on. We've got a cheap room, let's head to it.
Another guest arriving behind us wants the room we've just been put in because of a newspaper article it was mentioned in. If the story is to be believed, Room 215 grants people wishes. Hmm. We should definitely settle in, in that case.
Frustrations
When I say Hotel Dusk feels like it's padding out, this encounter with Melissa on the stairs is an excellent example. The back and forth between these two takes what feels like 10 minutes, easily, but boils down to 'the girl on the stairs won't move to let people past'.
Now, she's probably a key character and has to be introduced somehow, and maybe all this talk about where her parents are is important, but it doesn't feel like that in the moment. It feels like I'm just waiting for the chance to say 'what will it take to get you to move'?
Sure enough, it comes along...
What a lovely use of the stylus. Now, can we please move the plot along towards Room 215?
Further Fun Times
You can explore the hotel as soon as you're free to walk around it, and after bumping into some folks I find my room, unlock the door (because you don't just walk into hotel rooms, do you? You unlock them first. It's immersion, see?) and then immediately have to find the phone that won't stop ringing.
I didn't even try looking for it in the 3D view. It's just too small and fuzzy a view.
Oh, while I remember, all of this is taking place in 1979. Doesn't feel like it, does it? Even with all the shades of brown... Anyway, the phone call. It's from work. They're checking up on me, reminding that I need to do something with a package that hasn't arrived yet.
It may be slow to appear, but the writing is pretty damn good and full of unexpected lines that give everyone their own character. I don't know how much of the script, if any, has been changed and tweaked in the translation process, but I like the direction it's going on.
The pace not so much, as I say, but Hotel Dusk is keeping me interested on all fronts - gameplay, graphics, writing. Maybe not music. I can't remember much about the music.
So, we're waiting for a package to arrive, I guess we can chat with the guests some more. Time will pass at some point, I'm sure. Where shall we head next?
Final Word
And therein lies the problem with Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for me. That it takes so long to get anywhere. I want to see more of this game. More of its artwork, more of its touch-screen gimmicks, more of its plot, which I am lead to believe is a bit on the bonkers side.
I want to explore this much more, but simply do not know how long it's all going to take. Am I better to find a playthrough on YouTube and watch that? Would it be faster, or more streamlined? Is Hotel Dusk: Room 215 a game that simply needs to be played at your own pace, with players going about their business in a way that makes sense to them?
For its standout presentation alone, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is worth a look-see, and I suspect that when you get into the meat of the story, it'll be just as rewarding. Instead of tucking right in and eating the meat, we're waiting for the cow to go to slaughter.
You'll have to sit and wait for more on this one, I reckon. Don't know when, but here's hoping it's not too long before my wish is granted.
Fun Facts
The development aim? "An unprecedented visual expression not found in any other game." I'd say they met that one.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215, developed by Cing, first released in 2007.
Version played: Nintendo DS, 2007, via emulation.