"Hotel Dusk: Room 215" Nintendo DS Review 4.5/5 -Richard

There has been a trend, on the Nintendo DS, of bringing back the point-and-click games of the NES days -- games like "Deja Vu" and "Maniac Mansion." This is evident in the "Phoenix Wright" and "Trauma Center" games of the past few years, but none are as blatant as Cing's game "Hotel Dusk: Room 215."

"Hotel Dusk: Room 215" is the successor to Cing's 2005 DS game "Trace Memory" and follows the same basic principal. You control the main character with the stylus, clicking on items to examine or collect them as well as to talk to other characters and collect information. After doing this, you use the items and information to solve puzzles and advance the plot. The difference is that you are no longer a little girl searching for her father, but an ex-New York cop working as a traveling salesman while trying to find information about your ex-partner.

The controls are straight-forward, but tend to be a little tedious at times. You never know what in a room is interactive until you move the styles over it. Still, the game does not suffer much because of it.

The music is your typical multi-channel midi arrangement that you see in most DS games, but they go an interesting route with primarily jazz arrangements, which really fits the Noir feel. Sound effects are almost non-existent.

The game has a great storyline, but what sets it apart are the characters. You have the jaded, middle-aged hotel manager and owner, a Latino maid and cook who keeps everything running, the ex-con bartender/bellhop and a plethora of interesting guests, each with their own intricacies and secrets. Every character is tied together; some have very obvious and open relationships and others are hidden and closely guarded.

The game is broken down in to chapters that take place between set times. One chapter might be 9:30PM-10:00PM while the next is 10:00PM-11:00PM and each chapter is broken up into three parts. Before you can advance to the next part, or time, you have to complete a series of objectives. This adds an element of real-time, or as close as you can expect. Some things may take you an hour or more to figure out, while the game has progressed only 10 minutes. Meanwhile, another section may require you to talk to someone which takes 5 minutes in real life, but progresses the story another 20 minutes. Still, this is a unique idea that plays very well.

The pros of the game definitely the plot and characters, while the cons are the controls and replay value. Once you play through the game the mystique is gone, and that is the main value of the game.

It may be a little hard to find, but if you do it will only run you $25 to $30. If you enjoy puzzle games or Noir stories, it is highly worthwhile -- a solid choice.

4.5 out of 5