Can you solve the mystery of Hotel Dusk?

Back in June 2005, little-known development studio Cing Inc. surprised the early adopters of Nintendo DS with a charming adventure that single-handedly gave the double-screened console a raison d'être . Like a brazen child testing the boundaries of its environment, Another Code: Two Memories examined every single feature its host platform had on offer and ran with it, revitalising the dormant genre of point-and-click adventures in the process.

Almost two years later, Cing Inc. is once more set to underline exactly what makes Nintendo DS different, and proudly presents the interactive mystery novel Hotel Dusk: Room 215.

The player's character (and the story's protagonist) is Kyle Hyde, a gruff ex-cop with a past who turns up on the doorstep of the eponymous hotel, entering a night full of mystery and suspense as he attempts to solve the mysteries of the place and the colourful cast of characters wandering its hallways.

As you would with a regular novel, you hold the DS sideways when playing Hotel Dusk. Conversations between Kyle and the rest of the vividly animated cast are spread over both screens, granting the game a certain comic book shine as you use the stylus to tap through conversations and advance the plot.

But in addition to the dialogue, you'll be doing a lot of investigation. Where Another Code portrayed the game world top-down in 2D, Hotel Dusk is completely rendered in three dimensions. A useful map on the Touch Screen is used for easy navigation with the stylus, while your current surroundings are displayed on the opposite screen. You're going to need all your sleuthing skills to discover the dirty secrets in the hotel's many rooms

Dealing with themes like murder and betrayal through the eyes of an adult protagonist, Hotel Dusk's story is not only more mature than its younger sibling's is, it's also much more elaborate. Where seasoned gamers could complete Another Code in less than ten hours, solving the mystery of Hotel Dusk is sure to take at least twice as long. Stay tuned to the site for more info on this year's most intriguing title of all

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 will be in shops April 13, only on Nintendo DS.