Hotel Dusk
Review

Hotel Dusk (2007): Room 215 is a point-and-click adventure game about detective Kyle Hyde staying in a Twin-Peaks-like, rundown motel near 1979 Los Angeles. You move around the hotel to find clues, talk to other guests and ultimately solve what happened to his former partner Brian Bradley. It stands out for how un-game-like it feels and its hard-boiled detective vibe.

You slowly piece together the mystery and discover the hotel has connections to your past. The game is played with the DS held at 90 degrees like a book, and interactions are via the touchscreen, microphone and closeable cover. This sets the scenes for an experience that is as much a detective novel as it is a video game and requires attention to detail and inquisitiveness from the player. There's even a journal to write your notes in.

As you progress you talk to the various hotel patrons and employees to uncover vital information. This culminates with an interrogation scene with a major character at the end of each chapter. Showing characters particular items can also be an important way to gain information or jog their memories. Care is needed, however, as pressing people too hard can confuse, frighten or anger them and result in failure.

There are a series of games from the people who developed this:

• Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)
• Last Window: The Secret of Cape West (2010) on DS
• Chase: Cold Case Investigations (2016) on 3DS

The result is a game that draws in the curious like a good Agatha Christie book. It's a sad tale with interweaving characters and stories that hold together because of the strong sense of place and time. It's a story about loss, guilt and the human tendency to want closure even if that's not possible.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Hotel Dusk 10 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 10 months ago.