The usual linearity of the genre is far compensated in Hotel Dusk by the clever puzzles and the meaningful art-style.
The Bad: Sometimes the hotel gets suddenly deserted, and you can get REALLY stuck.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is an original point-and-click detective game, and even though the genre can sound dated and kinda restricted to PC that's not the feeling we get while playing it. It was a matter of time for these point-and-click games being turned simply into "touching" games in the DS, and Hotel Dusk achievements are so interesting that we can expect a new crop of them in the next months or so.
You play the role of Kyle Hyde, a former LAPD policeman that is searching for an old partner, Brian Bradley. Kyle has a work to do in the Hotel Dusk, but after checking in and as the night rolls over he starts to find out that the hotel holds some clues to his personal chase. The game is entirely played inside the hotel, and during a single night stay. The story is divided into chapters that are written as time goes by and as you solve riddles.
Hotel Dusk can make an old-style game survive nowadays thanks especially to the brightness of the puzzles. Almost every single task of this kind in the game (when the screen "swirls" and sucks you in) is challenging, or at least lets you with a smile on the face (or wanting to throw the DS in the wall, but after solving the puzzle you'll smile for sure). The good use of the DS exclusive features is exemplary, and that's the only thing I can say without spoiling you (but you must trust me here though).
Aside the solid playability the game presentation is superb. From the animation cut-scenes at the beginning to the conversation scenes along the story, everything is beautiful and unique. It was a great art-style choice to merge 3D environments with 2D, B&W characters, and the result is as much expressive as it could be. A superb soundtrack also helps you to get into the game, and even the tracks that are frequently replayed don't sound repetitive. A sharp dialogue presented by the almost-always interesting characters and the good timing of the rumble pack (not included) both earn extra points for the game.
The only thing that bugs me in the game is that there are many times when you can get stuck because people simply vanish from the hotel all about the same time. There are several moments when you can knock every single door in the place without finding anybody; and that means you must solve something with the items or inspect some area again. That's OK, but I think some people could at least answer to the door, even if it was to say, "Go away"! The place can't get empty in a wink...
In the end Hotel Dusk is a great game, and it will open a path (also speaking of good selling numbers, I guess) to other games in the genre. But they will be probably worse than this one.