Software:Hotel Dusk: Room 215

From HandWiki
Short description: 2007 video game

Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Developer(s)Cing
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Taisuke Kanasaki
Producer(s)Takuya Miyagawa
Designer(s)Rika Suzuki
Artist(s)
  • Taisuke Kanasaki
  • Keisuke Sakamoto
Writer(s)Rika Suzuki
Composer(s)Satoshi Okubo
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • NA: January 22, 2007
  • JP: January 25, 2007
  • AU: February 22, 2007
  • EU: April 13, 2007
  • KOR: February 12, 2009
Genre(s)Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (known in Japan as Wish Room: Angel's Memory (ウィッシュルーム　天使の記憶, Wisshu Rūmu Tenshi no Kioku) is a point-and-click adventure game for the Nintendo DS. Originally called Wish Room,[1] the game debuted at E3 on May 9, 2006.[2] It was initially released in North America on January 22, 2007, and later internationally. The game supports the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak accessory.

Hotel Dusk was developed by the now-defunct Cing. It was re-released in 2008 under the Touch! Generations line of DS (Dual Screen) games. A sequel, Software:Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, was released in 2010 for the DS.

Gameplay

Screenshot of gameplay showing both DS screens in their vertical format

The player, as Kyle Hyde, interacts with the environment using the Nintendo DS's touch screen. Gameplay involves navigating the hotel, speaking with hotel staff and patrons, and solving puzzles using the handheld's various features including the touch screen, microphone, and clamshell cover. The game is played with the DS rotated 90 degrees like a book.

The player may ask questions about items that Kyle has collected, or topics which have been brought to his attention. By asking the right questions, Kyle will uncover the information he needs. If he asks the wrong question, makes a wrong assumption, behaves rudely, gets caught with contraband, or is caught in a restricted area, he may confuse, frighten or anger the person, indicated by the character image darkening. This may result in a game over, which usually involves the hotel manager expelling him from the premises, or a crucial character refusing to cooperate, preventing him from ever solving the mystery.

Many of the games puzzles involve using the touch screen to perform a simple task. Movement is performed 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.

The game includes a journal to record notes in, with the player able to write and erase across three pages. All critical in-game story notes are copied automatically.

Synopsis

The game takes place in a rural Los Angeles hotel, Hotel Dusk, and centers on Kyle Hyde, a former NYPD detective now working as a salesman in order to find his missing police partner, Brian Bradley. At the hotel, he checks in to Room 215, which is rumored to grant wishes. At the hotel, Hyde dives into a series of interconnected mysteries about art forgery, kidnappings, murder, his missing partner, and the criminal organization Nile.

Development

Hotel Dusk was in production for about a year and a half. The development team comprised 20 staff members. In an interview with QJ.net, director Taisuke Kanasaki explained that the development team wanted Hotel Dusk to have "an unprecedented visual expression not found in any other game".[3]

The game uses rotoscoping to animate its characters. Game environments are illustrated in a brushwork style, with backgrounds drawn half-finished and 3D objects strewn about. While not a first in gaming, rotoscoping is still rare in most games (with only a handful, including the original Prince of Persia, using the animation style).[4][5] Many of the character designs were actually influenced by their actors.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic78/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comB+[8]
Adventure Gamers3.5/5[9]
Edge6/10[10]
EGM8.67/10[11]
Eurogamer7/10[12]
Famitsu9/10, 7/10, 9/10, 8/10[13]
Game Informer7/10[14]
GamePro3.75/5[15]
GameRevolutionB−[16]
GameSpot8.2/10[17]
GameSpy4/5[18]
GameTrailers8.1/10[19]
GameZone8.9/10[20]
IGN7.9/10[21]
Nintendo Power8/10[22]
The A.V. ClubD+[23]
The Sydney Morning Herald3/5[24]

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregation website Metacritic.[7] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40.[13]

The game was selected as one of Gaming Target's "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007".[25] It was the 76th best-selling game in Japan in 2007, with 213,208 copies sold.[26] A retrospective at Kotaku described the experience as "a big puzzle; everyone has a secret, and the writing (and localization) is done so well." The reviewer added that they were "constantly surprised by the characters and their motivations".[27] 411Mania gave it a score of seven out of ten, saying that the game is "easy to like and easier to want to get more of."[28] 1Up.com gave the game a B+ and wrote: "As you'd expect from a Nintendo-published game, the dialogue truly shines -- there's tons of it, and it's all wonderfully written, with tiny touches of humor to liven up an increasingly serious and gripping mystery."[8] Nintendo Power gave the game an 8 out of 10, praising the graphics and story while criticizing the game's simplistic puzzles and gameplay.[22]

The New York Times gave Hotel Dusk an average review, calling it "unrelentingly linear".[29] The Sydney Morning Herald gave it three stars out of five, and said: "Having to wait until the game lets you solve a riddle even though you have grasped the solution long ago is particularly galling. Players too often feel like passengers on a scripted ride, rather than individual auteurs directing their own unique experience".[24] The A.V. Club gave it 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".[23]

In 2011, Adventure Gamers named Hotel Dusk the 65th-best adventure game ever released.[30]

Sequel

A sequel, Software:Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, released in 2010 in Japan and Europe.[31] It takes place in Los Angeles, California during 1980, one year after the events of Hotel Dusk. Due to developer Cing's bankruptcy, Last Window was not released in North America.[32]

See also

  • Chase: Unsolved Cases Investigation Division – Distant Memories
  • Trace Memory, a similar game made by the same team

References

  1. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (October 5, 2005). "Nintendo Announces New DS Games". http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/05/nintendo-announces-new-ds-games. 
  2. ↑ Guy Cocker (May 11, 2006). "E3 2006: Nintendo tips handheld hand". http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-06-nintendo-tips-handheld-hand/1100-6149748/. 
  3. ↑ "Cing talks about Hotel Dusk and Another Code, hints at possible sequels on the Wii". QuickJump. 20 June 2007. https://qj.net/cing-talks-about-hotel-dusk-and-another-code-hints-at-possible-sequels-on-the-wii/. 
  4. ↑ Frank, Allegra (11 March 2016). "Hotel Dusk team regroups to tell hard-boiled detective story on Nintendo 3DS". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2016/3/11/11203872/hotel-dusk-room-215-cing-chase-nintendo-3ds. 
  5. ↑ Steven Nguyen Scaife (23 September 2019). "Undone follows a rich tradition of deliberate rotoscope animation". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2019/9/23/20876266/undone-animation-style-movies-tv-shows-games-rotoscope. 
  6. ↑ Extension, Time (2023-05-25). "Fan Pulls Back The Curtain On Hotel Dusk & Last Window's Incredible Animations" (in en-GB). https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/05/fan-pulls-back-the-curtain-on-hotel-dusk-and-last-windows-incredible-animations. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for DS Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/hotel-dusk-room-215/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Parish, Jeremy (January 22, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Review: Our hotel detective digs up a sleeper hit". 1Up.com. http://www.1up.com/reviews/hotel-dusk-room-215. 
  9. ↑ Emily Morganti (February 25, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 review". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18023. 
  10. ↑ Edge staff (March 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". Edge (173): 80. 
  11. ↑ EGM staff (February 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 97. 
  12. ↑ John Walker (February 26, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/hotel-dusk-room-215-review. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 rawmeatcowboy (January 17, 2007). "A couple of Famitsu reviews". GoNintendo. http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/24137-a-couple-of-famitsu-reviews. 
  14. ↑ Matthew Kato (March 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". Game Informer. http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200703/R07.0123.1405.40375.htm?. Retrieved July 8, 2016. 
  15. ↑ This Old Man (January 26, 2007). "Review: Hotel Dusk: Room 215". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/ds/games/reviews/94100.shtml. Retrieved July 7, 2016. 
  16. ↑ Joe Dodson (January 26, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/hotel-dusk-room-215. 
  17. ↑ Alex Navarro (January 23, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hotel-dusk-room-215-review/1900-6164619/. 
  18. ↑ Eduardo Vasconcellos (January 26, 2007). "GameSpy: Hotel Dusk: Room 215". GameSpy. http://ds.gamespy.com/nintendo-ds/hotel-dusk-215/759159p1.html. 
  19. ↑ "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Review". GameTrailers. January 25, 2007. http://gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=2802. 
  20. ↑ Dylan Platt (May 30, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - NDS - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/hotel_dusk_room_215_nds_review. 
  21. ↑ Craig Harris (January 24, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/25/hotel-dusk-room-215-review. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". Nintendo Power 213: 88. March 2007. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Chris Dahlen (January 29, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/article/hotel-dusk-room-215-7990. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Jason Hill (March 1, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/game-reviews/hotel-dusk-room-215/2007/02/28/1172338633172.html. 
  25. ↑ GT staff (January 1, 2008). "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2007: Part 2". Gaming Target. http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=8073. 
  26. ↑ "Top 500 Japanese Games Of 2007". Play-Asia.com. April 14, 2008. http://www.gemaga.com/2008/04/13/top-500-japanese-games-of-2007. 
  27. ↑ Peter Tieryas (22 June 2019). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Is A Compelling Story About Loss And Guilt.". Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/hotel-dusk-room-215-is-a-compelling-story-about-loss-a-1835592635. 
  28. ↑ Adam Smith (February 21, 2007). "Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS) Review". 411Mania. http://411mania.com/games/hotel-dusk-room-215-ds-review/. 
  29. ↑ Charles Herold (February 8, 2007). "Talking the Talk and Compiling the Clues". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/technology/08game.html?ex=1171602000&en=45de9854706dd4a9&ei=5070&emc=eta1&_r=0. 
  30. ↑ AG Staff (December 30, 2011). "Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022021804/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18643/page9. 
  31. ↑ Thomas East (July 14, 2010). "Last Window UK release date confirmed". Official Nintendo Magazine. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=18728. Retrieved July 7, 2016. 
  32. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (12 October 2014). "Five Games Never Released In North America That Would Be Easy To Port". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/10/12/five-games-never-released-in-north-america-that-would-be-easy-to-port.aspx. Retrieved 12 May 2022. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.
  • Wish Room: Tenshi no Kioku official Japanese site
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.



Template:Cing franchises



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Hotel_Dusk:_Room_215&oldid=4221758"