* Players live this interactive novel through the eyes of Kyle Hyde, a former New York detective on a quest for redemption … and revenge. A surprising plot, clever dialogue and an intriguing cast of supporting characters accompany him on the journey.

    * Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a touch screen-focused title that players of any skill level can play. By engaging in conversations with shady bellboys, chatty maids and secretive femme fatales – each with dark secrets of their own – the player determines the path of the story.

    * Hotel Dusk: Room 215 uses sketch animation, film noir-esque camera angles and dynamic lighting to create a truly original and innovative graphic style.

Game storyline: Part hard-boiled detective story and part intriguing mystery, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is an atmospheric yarn that takes place over the course of one night –Dec. 28, 1979. The lead character is a disgraced New York detective named Kyle Hyde who arrives at a run-down Los Angeles inn called Hotel Dusk. Once there, Kyle soon becomes involved in a 30-year-old mystery that involves lies, betrayal and murder. Over the course of the night, he will also discover something very special about Room 215 … a room that is said to grant wishes. The film noir feel of the story is enhanced by graphics that push video games in a true artistic direction. By combining a hand-drawn animation style with a creative use of color, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 creates a living, breathing world for gamers to experience.

How to progress through the game: Most of the game is driven by conversations. As players speak to people in the hotel, they will learn bits and pieces of the story, discover clues to the mystery of Kyle Hyde's past and encounter puzzles that need to be solved.

The game uses branching storylines to tell its tale, giving players many options for how to speak to people. Should they strong-arm the little girl in the hallway? Make nice with the hotel maid? Pretend to be interested in the manager's rambling stories? It's all up to them, but they must choose wisely. One false step could get them thrown out of the hotel and forever seal the mystery of what happened on that dark Christmas Eve three years ago …

As players speak to people, they'll have to choose how they want the conversation to proceed. All characters in Hotel Dusk: Room 215 bring their own secrets to the table … but some are better left unknown. The game also features simple touch-screen tasks such as picking a lock, decorating a Christmas tree or completing a jigsaw puzzle.

Characters: Games can't have a good story without memorable characters, and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is filled with all kinds of unusual birds. Here are just a few of the 14 people players will meet during their stay: