Hotel Barcelona Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

Just about the last place you’d check in is Hotel Barcelona, a most spooky but luxurious hotel seemingly only allowing serial killers through its gates. When the team that founded the idea is a Swery65 (Deadly Premonition) and Suda51 (Killer7 and No More Heroes), you know you’re in for some cultic trouble. But even when high expectations flood the weeks ahead of release, you still can’t help but shake the idea that this new game might fall prey to the flaws all previous Swery65 and Suda51 games have, and that is tight and fluid gameplay design. 

Sure, the artistic flair of these two is unmatched, with their affinity for retro, cult horror. Nowhere will you find such daring ideas of terror and unsettling vibes, at least not in the unique art style akin to B-movie horror and trippy comic book anime. But the gameplay, more precisely, combat, has often left much to be desired. Simple enough mechanics, janky much, and sparsely satisfying bogs down Swery65 and Suda51’s best works. Will their new venture be any different? Let’s find out in our Hotel Barcelona review below. 

Bark Up the Wrong Tree

I must admit, Hotel Barcelona’s story, its premise, got my senses tingling. Such a sweet and juicy mystery, with spooky undertones and an undeniable thirst for violence. Stepping into rookie federal marshal Justine’s shoes, you drive up to the wooded border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to investigate the strange establishment they call Hotel Barcelona. You crash-land before reaching your destination and come to in a strange room within the hotel. Much like The Shining’s Overlook hotel, you’re immediately certain nothing good will come of your stay here. But you can’t quite check out yet, committing to completing your mission. 

We soon learn that the hotel isn’t the only thing strangely out of place. Within the confines of your mind, a voice speaks to you, that of Dr Carnival, a deranged serial killer. Given your timid, shy self, you’re pleased to have a vicious alter ego to shred through anyone who stands in your way. And so, your investigation begins of Hotel Barcelona’s various rooms, weeding out the oddities that pry its walls and surviving the horrors it throws at you. There’s yet another mystery, maybe two, Hotel Barcelona reveals. First is the Witch trapping you in a loop inside the hotel, where every death leads you right back to where you started. And then there’s the mystery of the death of your father, supposedly involving the Witch and Dr Carnival. 

The Stories We Tell

I don’t know. Somewhere in the boggled, poor writing, with juvenile humor, and twisted storytelling lies the answers to the mysteries you seek. And for the life of me, I couldn’t keep pace with the events that followed some of Hotel Barcelona’s greatest speculative ideas. It’s hinted that Dr. Carnival’s willingness to aid you in dispelling any of the serial killers and vicious enemies you come across, that his intentions may not be all that pure.

He may have an agenda, conflicting with your own, and at times, the back-and-forth between Justine and the doctor piques your interest. Otherwise, Hotel Barcelona’s story is a compelling one, sure. But ultimately, it was let down by the execution of the writing and story development. 

Different Kettle of Fish

As for the stylistic choice of the characters and environments, you can already presume it’s going to be wild in the most fascinating way. Swery65 and Suda51 truly have found their niche in the gaming world and are sticking to their guns across most of the titles they put out. Unique and engrossing is the blend between realistic and detailed environments. The distinctive color palette of the ‘80s horror films and pop bizarreness. It’s an aesthetic you’ll quite enjoy, especially for gamers drawn to the weird and strange. And quite possibly, the feature that will keep you engaged through to the credits. 

The same goes for the sound effects and music, punky and dotting ‘90s horror scores. While derivative of some tracks you might know, it’s ultimately immersive and playful, carrying you through fights and exploration. What’s lacking is the voice acting, which sucks, given the fascinating character designs. The enemies and bosses might look like derivatives of those you’ve fought before, but still manage to creep you out. Some enemies, however, look boring and generic. 

Overall, I’ll say visual design is the winning feature of Hotel Barcelona’s run. Hardly surprising given Swery and Suda’s past exploits. 

Bite the Bullet

Now, the area that I’m most nervous about: combat. I get games that don’t bother holding your hard. The ones that throw you into a sea of sharks, taunting you about how long you can stay alive. Games like these are often characterised by impeccable combat, where experimentation yields great rewards. While fumbling around in the water, you discover a nifty trick or devastating combo that you end up slotting into your repertoire of growing visceral moves. And soon, you’re no longer a child on training wheels. You’re swimming with the sharks and wiping out bosses like a pro. 

That sense of discovery and reward, the satisfaction from trying, and trying again, is desperately lacking in Hotel Barcelona. Even when you’re hardly taken through any helpful tutorial, it takes a long, frustrating minute to discover that, oh, you can do a light and heavy attack. And oh, there’s a block, too. The parry? Well, it works when it wants to. In fact, you’ll have to settle into many of your inputs working when they feel like it, which is hardly anything to laugh about in the thick of combat. You can dodge, but cannot cancel out of it. You can dish out a special attack, but hardly feel the weight or punch of it, thanks to the flimsiness of the weapons themselves, and also a lack of visual or sound effect.

Caught Red-Handed

For a system that rewards aggressiveness, replenishing your health and stamina with blood drawn, not much blood splatters across the screen, or any impactful gore. Not much sound feedback to power your increasing knack for violence. Perhaps it has been remedied by a more tactful approach to combat, but most times, you’re hacking and slashing mindlessly into any enemies you see. Initially linearly, and then across diverging paths. It becomes tedious, rather than adrenaline-pumping: the input lag hardly makes it any easier to contend with. 

Granted, Hotel Barcelona does have all of the usual suspects for a good roguelite. A constant unlock of new weapons, abilities, and upgrades after every run. You’re guaranteed to die on the first try, requiring boosting your stats and skills. Then try again with better tools on hand, likely multiple times, before you’re able to beat the tough boss at the end of the stage.

And on and on it goes, gaining more power to take on more difficult runs. It’s just that as soon as you find the loadout that works best for you, there isn’t much incentive to switch it out. Not when you’ve spent your hard-earned currency upgrading your weapons and abilities. And so, even with a consistent supply of new goodies, you still barely make the most of them.

Phantom Attack

I’ll say, though, the idea behind the Slasher Phantom is pretty badass. When you play through a run, your movement and attacks are saved to incorporate into your next one. And so, you’re fighting side-by-side with up to three copies of yourself. And since the enemy positions and types rarely change much between runs, you’ll have your copies pretty much do most of the heavy lifting for you.

Okay, I take it back. Somehow, actually utilizing the mechanic doesn’t feel as satisfying as it sounds on paper. Not when the entire combat system itself is in desperate need of reworking. At least, though, your copies make the latter, more difficult runs a touch bit easier to beat.

Verdict

It’s simple, really. Hotel Barcelona is the kind of 2.5D action-adventure roguelite game that is best recommended to players drawn to its art style. Its aesthetic uses a unique ‘80s horror vibe: definitely weird, but ultimately engrossing if it’s your kind of thing. The story, too, does have its moments of reprieve. The premise will undoubtedly grab your attention, and some mysterious bits will have you wanting to learn more. 

But that’s just about where the good things end, with combat and platforming being the weakest links of Hotel Barcelona. From frustrating input lag, to tedious combat, and imprecise platforming, Swery65 and Suda51 are showing us yet again that they couldn’t care less for competent gameplay. As long as the visual and sound design is spot on, right? 

Perhaps there’ll be a future patch update to tighten the combat and platforming, because, as it stands, if it’s a deal breaker for you, perhaps Hollow Knight: Silksong, The Rogue Prince of Persia, and more satisfying roguelites might be better suited to your needs.