The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

And explore it you must. Everyone in the game has secrets, and players must help Kyle weasel his way to them. Aside from roaming hallways, this is the main action of the game play. Players are allowed various choices when grilling other people, and depending on what attitude you take, conversations can lead in multiple directions. You have to weigh each character you talk to, consider their personality and psychological state to know how to ask the right questions and get the right answers. It's like real life: know when to be assertive versus when to suck up, and you'll succeed. These are also the moments when story and game play collide, when success in the game hinges on the player's involvement with the narrative.

Hotel Dusk is like a novel because its primary function is to tell a story grounded in psychological insight and character development. It's a game because it allows the player to provide the story's momentum: it's the player's responsibility to keep Kyle safe and moving toward his final goal. Gamers might find themselves alienated by how little freedom they're allowed, because while Kyle's fate is in the player's hands, we remain witnesses rather than actors in the game's story. So really, Hotel Dusk is neither game nor novel, but some intriguing amalgam of the two. Most simply, it is an enthralling and unique experience any adventurous gamer would be remiss to pick up.

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