"Hotel Dusk rivals classics such as Sam and Max and Day of the Tentacle with it's unique gameplay"

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 hit the US stores in January 22, 2007, where it was held at high expectations of an adventure game for the Nintendo DS. Those who bought this game were not disappointed, and it immediately became one of the most innovative and unique adventure games for the NDS.

Plot: [10/10]
The story of Hotel Dusk features an ex-cop, Kyle Hyde, as the main character. It follows him around a deep and mysterious story as he not only tries to find his old partner, but as he unravels the puzzles surrounding Hotel Dusk. The story for Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was very well structured and planned out, and makes you feel like you're actually in the middle of a mystery novel. The plot for Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is much more detailed than that of other DS adventure games, earning it a 10/10.

Graphics: [10/10]
The graphics for this game are absolutely amazing. The environment makes good use of the Nintendo DS's 3D capabilities, but what really catches your eye are the characters. Instead of still images and pixellated sprites, Hotel Dusk uses fully detailed character renders. Hotel Dusk literally creates its own style through using noir-style black and white shaded characters who look so real it feels as if you're actually talking to them. Each character has a wide variety of expressions that successfully convey their thoughts and emotions, earning graphics a nice 10/10.

Sound: [9/10]
The music featured in this game is very much suited for it's detective-styled noir genre. Although the range isn't very wide, the sound is used very appropriately. The game also features sound effects that help you to hear what Kyle hears. There were a few things that bugged me such as how the music changes inappropriately during conversations which hinted what was going to happen, and although the sound wasn't the best I've heard, a DS has only limited capabilities and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 has made the most of them, giving it a 9/10.

Gameplay: [10/10]
Here comes the heart of the review. To start off, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is different to most Nintendo DS games in that the DS is held sideways like a book, suiting the fact that it is an 'interactive mystery novel'. For those who may be left-handed, the game has a setting to switch the screen around to better suit your needs. Hotel Dusk is an adventure game, but it has much more dialogue than most others, helping to convey the deep storyline. The game is much like point-and-click adventure games for the PC, so if you're a fan of games such as Sam and Max, then you'll enjoy this game. The keys on the DS are rarely used, as this game makes much use of the touch screen. Using your stylus, you'll guide Kyle around Hotel Dusk where you can interact with people, items and doors. This being a mystery game, you are provided a notebook where you can take down notes that may be important later on. Your notebook also acts as a main menu where you can save, check chapter summaries and look at the map. When moving around, the left screen shows a 3D render of the environment whilst the right screen has a birds-eye view map where you can control yourself. The gameplay of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is certainly something I have seldom seen, and makes very innovated use of the DS touch screen, earning it a 10/10.

Replayability: [9/10]
I would certainly play this game again, but it doesn't seem the kind of game that you would play over and over again continuously, maybe once every few years after you forget the storyline.

Buy/Rent/Return: [Buy]
Definitely buy this game. You'll want to keep it since it takes a while to finish and you wouldn't want to have to return it half-way through. It is worth the money you'll be paying for it, and if you're like me, you'll most likely play it again sometime.

To sum everything up, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a greatly designed adventure game for the Nintendo DS that is so realistic it feels like you're really in it. There are a few kinks that may distort gameplay, but in the end, they don't really make much of a difference.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/07