he same people who brought us Trace Memory developed Hotel Dusk, and although similarly charming at times, this game stumbles in the same way that most adventure titles do.

Oftentimes, it doesn’t feel like you are playing the game so much as you are participating in a trial and error laboratory experiment. While solving some of the game’s puzzles can provide some warming “eureka!” moments, most of the time the path is so linear that the game isn’t as much about challenging your wits as it is about checking basic, low-level brain functions. Getting through it is a lot like walking: Once you put one foot forward the rest sorts itself out without much thought.

Despite its linearity, Hotel Dusk at least advances the genre in its own ways. The touch screen is handy for taking notes, and gamers will enjoy how well the excellent script has been localized. Hell, it’s got more personality than 90 percent of games, period. However, two things in particular bug me about Hotel Dusk’s design. Some of its game-ending scenarios are too arbitrary to avoid. Also, when you go back in to replay your surprise faux pas, the game ignores your saves and sends you back to a further checkpoint, which is annoying, unnecessary, and time consuming.

This game has a hotel full of strangers with secrets, which might just be enough to get you to stick around to hear them all. But perhaps you’ll want to skip the ambiance and go somewhere with fresher towels.