If Hotel Dusk was this condensed mish mosh of a motley crew searching for a path forward from their entangled lives while somehow stumbling upon one another on the same vacation date, then Last Window is in many ways a sort of antithesis to this; it's the story of various individuals who can't seem to escape their past and seek meaning in their previous experiences, just pretending that everything's fine while desperately struggling in anguish under the surface. It's this slow burn compared to the much faster paced Hotel Dusk that makes the story and the characters feel much more well rounded; everyone's there for their own reason, and it's not just one party pulling all the strings this time. This time, it's closer to a series of unfortunate events about what happens to those who get lost in the sauce. Moreover, Last Window feels like an evolution in atmosphere and design due to just how personal everything feels; Kyle Hyde hasn't just stumbled upon a lead this time with everyone coming to pour out their feelings upon him. No, this time, he's at the center of it all as one of the puzzle pieces himself, and everything has fallen apart in his life; it's up to him to settle the score and pick himself back up, and his struggle against his murky past and uncertain future defines Last Window. He'll stumble his way through strange oddities and fellow neighbors who are every bit just as lost as him while writing his own tale; the pages are blank, and you'll be filling in the gaps.

Last Window feels like a much more realized and poignant experience than Hotel Dusk, impressive as is because Hotel Dusk already nailed the cozy noir vibe of a couch gaming DS VN; there's plenty of hints and guidance to keep you moving forward without too many difficulties, and the DS puzzles are much more intuitive this time around, with many of them actually giving you multiple solutions to work with should you choose to venture a bit further. Despite its ambition however, the ending does feel a bit abrupt; Kyle leaves a bit shaken but with a clearer conscience, but I can't help but wonder how those around him will move on (unlike Hotel Dusk, which gives you the opportunity to interact with everyone before leaving and wraps things up pretty nicely). I wouldn't be surprised if this were due to Cing's bankruptcy right after Last Window released; I feel like they had so many more stories to be told with just how much is still hidden under the surface. Regardless, I'll miss you Kyle Hyde. You were a real one.