Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Encyclopedia
Hotel Dusk: Room 215, released in Japan as , is a graphic adventure game
for the Nintendo DS
. Originally announced on October 5, 2005 as Wish Room, the game made its first public appearance on May 9, 2006 at that year's E3 convention. It was released in North America on January 22, 2007, before being released subsequently in other regions. The game supports the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak accessory. The game was later republished in 2008 as part of the Touch! Generations
line of DS games. The game was developed by the now-defunct Cing
.
The player, as Kyle Hyde, moves around and interacts with the environment using the DS's touch screen and must solve a variety of puzzles using the handheld's various features including the touch screen, microphone, and closeable cover. The DS is held rotated 90 degrees from normal, like a book, with an option in the game to allow the player to switch which side the touchpad is on depending on which hand is dominant.
Throughout the game, the player must speak with the various hotel patrons and employees in order to uncover vital information. The player can show the characters items that Kyle has collected, or ask questions that have been brought to Kyle's attention. By asking the right questions, Kyle will uncover the information he needs. If he asks the wrong question, makes a wrong assumption, or shows the wrong item, he may confuse or anger the person. This is usually indicated by a darkening of the character in question. This can result in Kyle being forced to retreat to his room or, later in the game, getting kicked out of the hotel, leaving him unable to solve the mystery.
The game is filled with adventure-style puzzles, most of which involve using the touch screen to perform a simple task. Movement is made by leading an iconic representation of Kyle around a map of the hotel on the touch screen or d-pad while a first-person three dimensional view is shown on the other screen.
There is also a journal to write in, which is used by several other characters as well, though all critical in-game story notes are copied automatically. It gives three pages to write in, with a simple pencil/eraser system.
near Los Angeles, California
during the year 1979. The protagonist is Kyle Hyde, a former member of the New York Police Department searching for his old partner, Brian Bradley. During his stay at the hotel, Kyle unravels a mystery shrouded in the hotel's past that may lead him to the answers he's looking for.
of Osterzone's life, how he died, and how the lost paintings of his were found. The scam was successful, the paintings sold for fortunes, and Evans and Dunning became rich. Osterzone's paintings became highly valued, particularly one called "Angel Opening a Door". As time went on, Dunning began to feel unsatisfied with being a ghost-painter and wanted to stop painting as Osterzone.
Unfortunately, Evans' art dealings had attracted crime syndicate
s. In 1969, Evans bought Hotel Dusk with the intent to use it as a meeting ground for a criminal organization named Nile, and as a location where Dunning could secretly paint. One day, Dunning had been invited to Hotel Dusk. Jenny, Dunning’s daughter, was brought along and was left to play with Mila, Evans' daughter, unsupervised in another room. While discussing with Evans, Dunning refused to continue painting, and as a result, a Nile agent kidnapped Jenny. Mila was frightened and tried to stop him, but was lifted and rendered unconscious into a coma. When they came back, Mila was unconscious on the floor and Jenny was missing. Evans transported Mila to Robbins Memorial Hospital and came back to the hotel the following morning. He told Dunning that if he wanted Jenny back, he would have to continue painting as Osterzone. In the meantime, Evans continued to visit Mila at the hospital once a month without fail. After becoming too involved with Nile, Evans was forced to close down the art gallery and sold Hotel Dusk to Dunning. After three years of painting, Dunning decided to quit after losing hopes of retrieving Jenny. Dunning received a letter written by Evans, promising Jenny would be returned if he would be patient and wait at Hotel Dusk. Dunning reopened Hotel Dusk in 1974, after hiding all evidence of Osterzone and Nile. Rumors about Jenny being kidnapped at the hotel began to surface, which resulted in Dunning making up a story about Room 215 being able to grant wishes to attract customers.
's Kyle Hyde and partner, Brian Bradley, were investigating Nile in Manhattan
. During that time, Bradley came across a man named Norman, whom he later learned was Robert Evans. Evans told him that Nile were holding his younger sister hostage (who was also named Mila), and if he didn’t leak confidential police information about Nile, Mila would be killed. Bradley, worried for his sister's safety, leaked the information and in turn, discovered the truth of Nile, Osterzone, and Jenny’s kidnapping. Feeling sympathy for Dunning, Bradley stole "Angel Opening a Door" in a warehouse run by Nile. Bradley did his part of the deal, but when he went to check on Mila, she was found dead at the hands of Robert Evans. Kyle, working at the police station, received a phone call and learned about Bradley's treachery and turning against the police force. Because of the shock and confusion, Kyle confronted Bradley at the docks along the Hudson River
and fired his gun at him. Bradley fell into the river and disappeared, and Kyle presumed that he had been killed. Kyle left the force after shooting Bradley, and became a salesman for the Red Crown company.
Bradley, however, managed to survive and six months prior to the present, found his way to Hotel Dusk. He met Dunning for the first time, and explained to him that he knew about Evans, Nile, and Osterzone. Dunning, who didn’t trust Bradley, lied to him and told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. Knowing that Kyle would likely follow him, Bradley checked in under Kyle's name and left several clues. He also returned "Angel Opening a Door" back to Dunning. After his stay at Hotel Dusk, Bradley decided to visit Mila at the Robbins hospital, as she reminded him of his younger sister who shared the same name. Bradley gave her a bracelet that used to belong to his sister which has the name “Mila” on it. Shortly after this, Mila came out of her coma, 10 years older and unable to speak
. After waiting 6 months at the hospital for her father’s arrival, Mila decided to find him herself, but her only clue was an old Hotel Dusk brochure (which had been left by Bradley during his visit). While walking along the highway to Hotel Dusk, Kyle passed by her in his car and they caught a short glimpse of each other. She arrived at Hotel Dusk shortly after Kyle checked in, and this is where the story begins.
The game uses rotoscoping to animate its characters while a brushwork style illustrates the game's environments with half-finished backgrounds with 3-D objects strewn about. While not a first in gaming, rotoscoping is still rare in most games (with only a handful, namely the original Prince of Persia using the animation style).
during 1980, a year after the events of Hotel Dusk. It is currently unknown if Last Window will ever be released in North America, due to developer Cing
's subsequent bankruptcy.
, and a 78/100 on Metacritic
. Most major review sources gave it high marks, including IGN
(7.9/10), GameSpot
(8.2/10), Electronic Gaming Monthly
(8.67/10), and 1UP.com
(8/10). The positive critical reception commonly references the game's storyline and well-written character dialogue. Carolyn Gudmundson of Games Radar notes that the "...game is so well-written, and the dialogue is so natural, that it feels more like interacting with real people at times than following prompts in a game." GameSpot notes that "...the characters that populate the hotel aren't just half-written caricatures, strictly designed to move the plot forward. These people have layers to them--legitimate character depth that shines through with each passing conversation."
The game was also selected as one of Gaming Target
's "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007". It was the 76th best-selling game in Japan in 2007, with 213,208 copies sold.
The reception was not universally positive, though. The Onion AV Club gave the game a D+ and pointed out that "while a mystery should keep you alert for clues and misstatements, Hotel Dusk slaps you in the forehead with every new piece of evidence, then patronizes you with reading-comprehension quizzes after every chapter". Echoing the AV Club's complaints about the stylus use in the game feeling strapped on, Netjak.com added, "The gimmick to gameplay ratio is almost off the charts for this one" and awarded the game with a 5.9.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. Originally announced on October 5, 2005 as Wish Room, the game made its first public appearance on May 9, 2006 at that year's E3 convention. It was released in North America on January 22, 2007, before being released subsequently in other regions. The game supports the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak accessory. The game was later republished in 2008 as part of the Touch! Generations
Touch! Generations
is a Nintendo brand used for the Nintendo DS and Wii showing games created to appeal to a broader audience than the traditional gamer. Nintendo have announced that they will be retiring the brand with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS.-Games:...
line of DS games. The game was developed by the now-defunct Cing
Cing
was an independent video game developer based out of Fukuoka, Japan. The company, a small development house employing only 29 people, was founded in April 1999, and was run by Takuya Miyagawa, who served as President and CEO. Miyagawa also acted as the producer on all of Cing's titles. The company...
.
Gameplay
Throughout the game, the player must speak with the various hotel patrons and employees in order to uncover vital information. The player can show the characters items that Kyle has collected, or ask questions that have been brought to Kyle's attention. By asking the right questions, Kyle will uncover the information he needs. If he asks the wrong question, makes a wrong assumption, or shows the wrong item, he may confuse or anger the person. This is usually indicated by a darkening of the character in question. This can result in Kyle being forced to retreat to his room or, later in the game, getting kicked out of the hotel, leaving him unable to solve the mystery.
The game is filled with adventure-style puzzles, most of which involve using the touch screen to perform a simple task. Movement is made by leading an iconic representation of Kyle around a map of the hotel on the touch screen or d-pad while a first-person three dimensional view is shown on the other screen.
There is also a journal to write in, which is used by several other characters as well, though all critical in-game story notes are copied automatically. It gives three pages to write in, with a simple pencil/eraser system.
Synopsis
The main setting is the fictional Hotel Dusk, a small, somewhat rundown hotel located in the southwestern United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
near Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
during the year 1979. The protagonist is Kyle Hyde, a former member of the New York Police Department searching for his old partner, Brian Bradley. During his stay at the hotel, Kyle unravels a mystery shrouded in the hotel's past that may lead him to the answers he's looking for.
Past
Robert Evans and Dunning Smith were friends at college, but went their separate ways. Evans inherited his family's art gallery, while Dunning wanted to become a professional painter. Both married and each had a daughter: Mila and Jenny, respectively. In 1960, they reunited in an airport, after both of their wives died in a tragic plane crash. A year later, Evans came up with the idea of creating "Osterzone", a dead painter whose works would be highly valued. Evans deeply admired Dunning’s skill at painting, and offered him to paint works to be credited as Osterzone’s, to which he agreed. While Dunning painted, Evans displayed the works in his art gallery. He also wrote a fake biographyBiography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of Osterzone's life, how he died, and how the lost paintings of his were found. The scam was successful, the paintings sold for fortunes, and Evans and Dunning became rich. Osterzone's paintings became highly valued, particularly one called "Angel Opening a Door". As time went on, Dunning began to feel unsatisfied with being a ghost-painter and wanted to stop painting as Osterzone.
Unfortunately, Evans' art dealings had attracted crime syndicate
Syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...
s. In 1969, Evans bought Hotel Dusk with the intent to use it as a meeting ground for a criminal organization named Nile, and as a location where Dunning could secretly paint. One day, Dunning had been invited to Hotel Dusk. Jenny, Dunning’s daughter, was brought along and was left to play with Mila, Evans' daughter, unsupervised in another room. While discussing with Evans, Dunning refused to continue painting, and as a result, a Nile agent kidnapped Jenny. Mila was frightened and tried to stop him, but was lifted and rendered unconscious into a coma. When they came back, Mila was unconscious on the floor and Jenny was missing. Evans transported Mila to Robbins Memorial Hospital and came back to the hotel the following morning. He told Dunning that if he wanted Jenny back, he would have to continue painting as Osterzone. In the meantime, Evans continued to visit Mila at the hospital once a month without fail. After becoming too involved with Nile, Evans was forced to close down the art gallery and sold Hotel Dusk to Dunning. After three years of painting, Dunning decided to quit after losing hopes of retrieving Jenny. Dunning received a letter written by Evans, promising Jenny would be returned if he would be patient and wait at Hotel Dusk. Dunning reopened Hotel Dusk in 1974, after hiding all evidence of Osterzone and Nile. Rumors about Jenny being kidnapped at the hotel began to surface, which resulted in Dunning making up a story about Room 215 being able to grant wishes to attract customers.
Present
Three years prior to the present in New York, N.Y.P.DNew York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
's Kyle Hyde and partner, Brian Bradley, were investigating Nile in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. During that time, Bradley came across a man named Norman, whom he later learned was Robert Evans. Evans told him that Nile were holding his younger sister hostage (who was also named Mila), and if he didn’t leak confidential police information about Nile, Mila would be killed. Bradley, worried for his sister's safety, leaked the information and in turn, discovered the truth of Nile, Osterzone, and Jenny’s kidnapping. Feeling sympathy for Dunning, Bradley stole "Angel Opening a Door" in a warehouse run by Nile. Bradley did his part of the deal, but when he went to check on Mila, she was found dead at the hands of Robert Evans. Kyle, working at the police station, received a phone call and learned about Bradley's treachery and turning against the police force. Because of the shock and confusion, Kyle confronted Bradley at the docks along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and fired his gun at him. Bradley fell into the river and disappeared, and Kyle presumed that he had been killed. Kyle left the force after shooting Bradley, and became a salesman for the Red Crown company.
Bradley, however, managed to survive and six months prior to the present, found his way to Hotel Dusk. He met Dunning for the first time, and explained to him that he knew about Evans, Nile, and Osterzone. Dunning, who didn’t trust Bradley, lied to him and told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. Knowing that Kyle would likely follow him, Bradley checked in under Kyle's name and left several clues. He also returned "Angel Opening a Door" back to Dunning. After his stay at Hotel Dusk, Bradley decided to visit Mila at the Robbins hospital, as she reminded him of his younger sister who shared the same name. Bradley gave her a bracelet that used to belong to his sister which has the name “Mila” on it. Shortly after this, Mila came out of her coma, 10 years older and unable to speak
Muteness
Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
. After waiting 6 months at the hospital for her father’s arrival, Mila decided to find him herself, but her only clue was an old Hotel Dusk brochure (which had been left by Bradley during his visit). While walking along the highway to Hotel Dusk, Kyle passed by her in his car and they caught a short glimpse of each other. She arrived at Hotel Dusk shortly after Kyle checked in, and this is where the story begins.
Development
Production took about a year and a half with 20 staff members involved. In an interview with Qj.net, Director Taisuke Kanasaki "explained that they wanted Hotel Dusk to have an unprecedented visual expression not found in any other game."The game uses rotoscoping to animate its characters while a brushwork style illustrates the game's environments with half-finished backgrounds with 3-D objects strewn about. While not a first in gaming, rotoscoping is still rare in most games (with only a handful, namely the original Prince of Persia using the animation style).
Sequel
A sequel, titled Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, was released on January 14th, 2010 in Japan, and on September 17th, 2010 in Europe. It takes place in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
during 1980, a year after the events of Hotel Dusk. It is currently unknown if Last Window will ever be released in North America, due to developer Cing
Cing
was an independent video game developer based out of Fukuoka, Japan. The company, a small development house employing only 29 people, was founded in April 1999, and was run by Takuya Miyagawa, who served as President and CEO. Miyagawa also acted as the producer on all of Cing's titles. The company...
's subsequent bankruptcy.
Reception
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 has garnered a review score ratio of 79.36% at Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, and a 78/100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Most major review sources gave it high marks, including IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
(7.9/10), GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
(8.2/10), Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
(8.67/10), and 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
(8/10). The positive critical reception commonly references the game's storyline and well-written character dialogue. Carolyn Gudmundson of Games Radar notes that the "...game is so well-written, and the dialogue is so natural, that it feels more like interacting with real people at times than following prompts in a game." GameSpot notes that "...the characters that populate the hotel aren't just half-written caricatures, strictly designed to move the plot forward. These people have layers to them--legitimate character depth that shines through with each passing conversation."
The game was also selected as one of Gaming Target
Gaming Target
Gaming Target is a website covering video games and gaming culture that was founded on February 17, 1999 by Matt Swider.-History:When it launched in 1999, Gaming Target focused solely on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color...
's "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007". It was the 76th best-selling game in Japan in 2007, with 213,208 copies sold.
The reception was not universally positive, though. The Onion AV Club gave the game a D+ and pointed out that "while a mystery should keep you alert for clues and misstatements, Hotel Dusk slaps you in the forehead with every new piece of evidence, then patronizes you with reading-comprehension quizzes after every chapter". Echoing the AV Club's complaints about the stylus use in the game feeling strapped on, Netjak.com added, "The gimmick to gameplay ratio is almost off the charts for this one" and awarded the game with a 5.9.
External links
- Hotel Dusk: Room 215 official site
- Wish Room: Tenshi no Kioku official Japanese site
- Hotel Dusk: Room 215 at N-siderN-siderN-Sider is a website that provides news, reviews, history, and opinion articles relating to Nintendo Co., Ltd. The site was founded in 2000. It is currently an independent media organization funded and managed by Cory Faller, with assistance from a variety of writers and contributors...
- Hotel Dusk: Room 215 at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
- Hotel Dusk: Room 215 at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...