Investigate the murder mystery story of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 on your DS

22 January 2007

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Posted by:Ferry

The date is December 28, 1979. Kyle Hyde, disgraced New York detective turned salesman for Red Crown, checks into the seedy Hotel Dusk in Los Angeles and suddenly finds himself embroiled in a 30-year-old murder mystery that involves lies, betrayal, kidnapping, and murder. And over the course of the night, he will also discover something very special about Room 215… a room that is said to grant wishes. But who is Kyle Hyde? Why is he haunted by his past? And what happened in Room 215? Only by taking the stylus in hand and navigating through the story’s twists and turns can you learn the answers.

This is the story of Hotel Dusk: Room 215, available exclusively for the DS from January 24 in the US (its been delayed until March or April in Europe) and is Rated T for Teen. The dual screens of a player’s Nintendo DS display stylized sketch animation evoking a comic-book-like film noir. Conversations with more than a dozen characters help players piece together different story elements as the mystery deepens. Players decide where the story goes next by weighing their options and tapping their decision on the touch screen using the stylus. See how here:

“Hotel Dusk: Room 215 could be considered a new genre for both video games and storytelling,” explains George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Just as audio books brought the printed word to a new medium, so does this new ‘video game book.’”

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 features deep characters, grown-up themes and an engrossing plot. It has more in common with a gritty crime novel than a video game, and appeals to mystery lovers and video game fans alike. As the plot develops, players must make choices before they begin each conversation, like deciding whether to strong-arm a subject or play it cool.

Players hold the portable Nintendo DS system sideways like a book, and the touch-screen controls make it easy for newcomers to pick up and play, even if they have never played a video game before. Nintendo’s aim is to expand the world of video games to new audiences through creative new interfaces.

I’ve pre-ordered Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and so should you if you enjoy those classic point-and-click adventures or a good story.