I mentioned earlier that Hotel Dusk is a lot like Choose Your Own Adventure. During dialogue, Kyle is sometimes presented with two choices that he can use to continue the conversation. The story depends on which direction you choose to take. Unfortunately, the game is programmed to be biased depending on your choice. Choose the wrong conversation starter and you could end up getting kicked out of the hotel or going back to your room. If either of these scenarios happens, you must retry from your latest save point. I wish the game were a little more open, but as long as you don’t choose the outrageously rude option you’re going to be okay most of the time.
Holding the DS like a book is odd when watching animations that were made for the full screen. For some reason my eyes just can’t put the two separate screens together to create one solid picture. That stupid white bar is just always in the way. It’s like hooking up two monitors, you know, the really old ones with the tiny screen encased in the huge white plastic casing? Then watch a car drive from one monitor to the other… that’s what it is like on the DS. There is a lag time between when the car leaves one side and appears on the other. You get over it, but still, it’s a minor annoyance.
Kyle’s notebook is a treasure trove of information. Often just looking in the notebook is enough to figure out what your next course of action should be. Between looking at maps, using your contact list, holding objects that may be clues, and reading over your notes, this notebook is an advanced PDA for 1979. The notebook even has room for you to take notes, up to three whole pages! You do this by writing directly on the screen and then erasing the notes later. The stylus did a great job of catching my unique (read: sloppy) writing style and portraying it on the screen.
The story of Hotel Dusk is good. In fact, it is really good. The player must pay attention to the actions and words of the characters to understand what the next move should be. Miss it, and you’ll be relying on a walkthrough to get through the game. There are only a few actions that Kyle can take at once, and when those are exhausted the next move becomes somewhat obvious. Speaking to characters, walking into a different room, and trying numbers of objects are the keys to progressing in this game. Sometimes Kyle is presented with a puzzle to solve (literally and figuratively), and paying attention to the clues in the game are important for being able to solve them.
The story is good, but it is also quite long. The word “long” should be understood as: lots of reading is required. Some people don’t like to have to read their video games, and if this is the case, Hotel Dusk is not for you. But for those who enjoy being taking part in a great mystery story, the reading isn’t a big deal. Get over it and get engrossed in your next move!
Kyle also progresses through the story by saving a bank of loose ends or “questions” that he needs answered. There are three types of questions: those that a specific person can answer, those that you don’t know whom to ask, and those that are needed to solve a specific problem. Each has their own color, yellow, white, and red respectively. Using these conversation starters also helps Kyle make progress towards solving the case.
