At first glance, you might think this is a hardboiled detective story featuring a cynical retired cop, but it really isn't. Our protagonist is on a personal quest, seeking the truth behind incidents happened to him prior. By accident or by design, he meets the colorful residents of Hotel Dusk, all of them having something to do with the truth he is seeking. He has exactly one night to figure it out, in a motel where no one is coming or leaving. Indeed, the setup is a classic "insulated mansion in a stormy night" rather than the sprawling metropolis where the hardboiled detectives usually dwell. Thankfully, nobody dies in this game, and the worst thing that could happen to our protagonist is getting kicked out. The detective work here is done mostly by talking to people (with some poorly designed puzzle solving in the mix). There is no gun in this story. The plot meanders quite a bit, with each side character has their own little arch. Sometimes it's not clear what to do next with the event that triggers plot progression seemingly coming out of nowhere.