CHECK INTO 'HOTEL DUSK,' A VERY MYSTERIOUS PLACE.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio

Staff Writer

Like a lot of good books, the fun in "Hotel Dusk: Room 215" comes with the journey, not the destination.

Lots of games like to use mystery storytelling as a tool to compliment the action. But in "Hotel Dusk," the mystery IS the action. It's a game that appeals to the pure reader in all of us, capable of using its dialogue and story to wipe out chunks of your day while captivating you with inspired design elements.

Players are placed within the story of Kyle Hyde, a burned-out ex-cop who now specializes in finding lost items for small businesses. One of Kyle's jobs takes him to Hotel Dusk, a humble place that houses an odd collection of guests and features rooms with names.

The game pitches itself as a digital mystery novel, even asking players to hold the DS sideways so it opens like a book.

However, instead of flipping through pages, you use the touch screen to view lightly animated scenes. You can tap the screen to scroll through dialogue or access other parts of the game.

You also don't "read" this game from front-to-back, like "Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel" for the PSP. By using the stylus and touch screen, you can walk around the hotel (map is on the right, first-person view on the left), search specific parts of the scenery, and even take down notes in a notebook.

You also get to maintain conversations with people around the hotel, using the touch screen to point out questions as well as pick out items to show them at the right time, sort of like "Phoenix Wright." You can also open doors, use keys, grab boxes -- I even straightened out a paper clip with the stylus.

The game reminds me a little of the old point-and-click computer games from Lucasarts, where you guided a cursor over certain points of a scene and clicked on a menu of functions at the bottom of the screen (like "look," "use" or "take"). Some actions are correct, some aren't.

There's also quite a bit of puzzle-solving in the game (the first one you run into is a jigsaw puzzle) which helps break up the investigation process, which can get a little tedious at times. Between chapters, I also got a little mini-quiz to help Kyle put the story together.

While the game was entertaining for me, it should be noted that the pace of "Hotel Dusk" is not for everyone, especially those who want instant gratification from their games. It took me about two hours to get through the first chapter, which is basically about Kyle arriving at the hotel -- so you're in for a long haul.

But it's been a long time since I've seen all the pieces of a story come together the way they do in "Hotel Dusk." I almost don't want it to end -- that's the mark of a fun trip.

You can message Redmond Carolipio on Xbox Live (gamertag: bensaki) or hear him on the All Games Interactive podcast at www.allgames.com.

HOTEL DUSK: ROOM 215 - Three stars

Platform: Nintendo DS (Lite).

Rated: T for teen.

In a nutshell: Story comes together nicely.

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