Recently, it feels like I've been playing a lot more games where story and atmosphere the main draw. Obviously Ace Attorney and Layton, but also with stuff like Persona, 999, AI:TSF and even Shenmue. I've been able to get a pretty good sampling of what these games are like. And yet, Hotel Dusk struck a cord with me pretty much unlike any of the others, barring perhaps Shenmue. The games share a lot in common; A small, very "human" location being returned to over and over rather than a smattering of travel points and world-ending stakes, and pretty unconventional controls.
But above all else, its the tranquility of the two games I treasure so fondly. Like Shenmue, Hotel Dusk is a slow-moving game, one with a lot of just, normal conversations, human jokes, pretty much lacking the "theatrical" presentation of other Adventure games entirely. Not to say there's anything WRONG with that in those games-- I love seeing Ace Attorney characters gradually reveal just how off the shits they truly are --but that its impressive just how pitch perfectly Hotel Dusk is able to execute the complete opposite effect. With just how magically this game entraps you in its world through the art, music and writing, it turns into a game where I could very well argue most of its 'flaws' or rough edges are exactly what make it all click so well to begin with.
The visuals, being a game using 3D environments on the DS, obviously lack the detailed lighting and clean visual design you would see even in a 3DS game, yet the roughness of the visuals lend themselves almost perfectly to the aesthetic of the game--its a mystery game, about a rough, snarky guy gradually unraveling more and more about this seemingly mundane location. The visuals give off this near "uncanny" vibe that fit its tone almost too well, whilst also matching the iconic 2D character art pitch perfectly. There's no quick travel or anything, no objective marker or really much in the way of guidance, and as a huge lover of games designed around a lack of overbearing QOL this made me feel gleeful as can be. Its a game all about paying attention, both in dialogue and out.
All of this to say that the grounded set of mechanics, lacking many abstract 'videogamey' QOL systems, mixed with the slow pace and very human themes and interactions in the game, lead to a near unparallelled experience of pure attachment. That isn't to say that the game is perfect, and (again, like Shenmue) I definitely think the game lacks the kind of universal appeal a game like Ace Attorney has. But its also because of that direction that my heart was struck to begin with.
...I apologize if its weird, reading a dozen tweets about a story game without touching on the story at all, but that's because I believe this game NEEDS to be experienced wholly blind. I wish not to spoil this one-of-a-kind experience to any degree beyond a recommendation. Its one of those games that I know is going to stick with me for the rest of my life, both for how memorably gradual the story is and for how well the rest of the game compliments the feeling of slowly unravelling what's happing. A kind of game I feel we don't really see anymore.
Hotel Dusk deserved better. Yet because of its lack of success and imitators, in a way it feels even more special because of it. A bright star, shining pretty much all alone. And I do so love it.
[Playtime: 27 hours]
[Key word: Human]
But above all else, its the tranquility of the two games I treasure so fondly. Like Shenmue, Hotel Dusk is a slow-moving game, one with a lot of just, normal conversations, human jokes, pretty much lacking the "theatrical" presentation of other Adventure games entirely. Not to say there's anything WRONG with that in those games-- I love seeing Ace Attorney characters gradually reveal just how off the shits they truly are --but that its impressive just how pitch perfectly Hotel Dusk is able to execute the complete opposite effect. With just how magically this game entraps you in its world through the art, music and writing, it turns into a game where I could very well argue most of its 'flaws' or rough edges are exactly what make it all click so well to begin with.
The visuals, being a game using 3D environments on the DS, obviously lack the detailed lighting and clean visual design you would see even in a 3DS game, yet the roughness of the visuals lend themselves almost perfectly to the aesthetic of the game--its a mystery game, about a rough, snarky guy gradually unraveling more and more about this seemingly mundane location. The visuals give off this near "uncanny" vibe that fit its tone almost too well, whilst also matching the iconic 2D character art pitch perfectly. There's no quick travel or anything, no objective marker or really much in the way of guidance, and as a huge lover of games designed around a lack of overbearing QOL this made me feel gleeful as can be. Its a game all about paying attention, both in dialogue and out.
All of this to say that the grounded set of mechanics, lacking many abstract 'videogamey' QOL systems, mixed with the slow pace and very human themes and interactions in the game, lead to a near unparallelled experience of pure attachment. That isn't to say that the game is perfect, and (again, like Shenmue) I definitely think the game lacks the kind of universal appeal a game like Ace Attorney has. But its also because of that direction that my heart was struck to begin with.
...I apologize if its weird, reading a dozen tweets about a story game without touching on the story at all, but that's because I believe this game NEEDS to be experienced wholly blind. I wish not to spoil this one-of-a-kind experience to any degree beyond a recommendation. Its one of those games that I know is going to stick with me for the rest of my life, both for how memorably gradual the story is and for how well the rest of the game compliments the feeling of slowly unravelling what's happing. A kind of game I feel we don't really see anymore.
Hotel Dusk deserved better. Yet because of its lack of success and imitators, in a way it feels even more special because of it. A bright star, shining pretty much all alone. And I do so love it.
[Playtime: 27 hours]
[Key word: Human]