MINIATURE REVIEW TYPE THING

Hotel Dusk (revisited)

The other day I mentioned that I’d been playing Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for the Nintendo DS; well, that game has been completed now, so I suppose I might as well deliver a more substantial opinion.

Yes, it’s very similar to Phoenix Wright in places. For most of the game you will go from location to location examining the area and acquiring items and evidence. You’ll open up new locations as the story progresses. You’ll meet people at these locations and may be able to talk to them (some conversations opening up new topics to talk about, granting access to new areas, or resulting in new inventory items), and you can show these people any of the items you’ve already acquired in your inventory. Sometimes in these conversations you’ll have to show people the right item or say the right thing, or else you’ll be penalised. Any of this sound familiar?

If you think about it, the only real differences are that HD is a bit more technologically advanced (with 3D environments and many more varied interactive minigames), and Phoenix Wright has more wit, as well as “evolving” a lot faster – it’s not until the final moments of Dusk that the game throws up multiple “succeed or else” challenges containing many questions and generally being much craftier than it’s been in the other chapters; Wright‘s difficulty curve is a standard 45 degree angle compared to Hotel Dusk, which stays near to flat for most of the nine chapters, then climbs very rapidly as it reaches the end.

If you’re willing to accept that the Phoenix Wright games are a decidedly hard act to follow, and can therefore forgive Dusk when it sometimes seems substandard, then it’s well worth getting hold of. Also, whilst the mechanics of the games are very similar, the writing is obviously completely different (a different cast, different character histories to learn…) and so it’s very important that you enjoy Dusk’s writing for what it is, instead of subconsciously comparing it to Wright‘s.

Anyway, I’ve rambled on enough for now. Expect a proper review in the next DM, perhaps. Until then, see you.

qazimod