HOTEL BARCELONA

Hotel Barcelona seems strangely ordinary when you consider who is behind the game. That's not to say that it IS ordinary, because it definitely isn't, but I had expected a more crazy game.

Hotel Barcelona is a complicated game in every imaginable way. While it offers an interesting challenge thanks to the high degree of unpredictability inherent in the roguelike genre, it's hard to ignore its performance issues and clunky gameplay. It's a stylish game that lovingly pays homage to horror cinema, but it nearly ruins everything with its clumsy and almost inconsequential execution. It takes effort to see its precariousness as its own charm, like a genuine low-budget trashy horror film with questionable intentions. Once this hurdle is overcome, it quickly carves out its niche, for which it can be seen as one of the best games in the world.

It may not be a main SUDA51 title but the collaboration with SWERT doesn't feel as different other than 2.5D perspective, which thankfully works well. The gameplay may need some polishing with input delays but it has that roguelike itch that this addict can't resist. Its a nice starter to keep SUDA51 fans going till Romeo is a Dead Man releases. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna see what else is in store for me during my stay at Hotel Barcelona.

Flashy, inspired but flawed, Hotel Barcelona is a blood-drenched, frenetic but clunky action roguelite. Leaning towards style rather than substance, its creative story, breadth of replaybility and brilliant horror-inspired art direction make this one for the cultists.

If you see this game as an "auteur" piece you might enjoy it, but its roguelite formula is too clunky and hostile to be enjoyed by the mass market.

Hotel Barcelona adds in just enough quirky things to stay on brand with the reputation that its legendary creators have forged for themselves. Just like most of their other works, Hotel Barcelona is far from perfect, showcasing its own intentional nuances that can either make or break a game for some people.

Hotel Barcelona is a blood-soaked, 2.5D slasher action game where you play as Justine, a federal marshal unwillingly sharing a mind with the murderous Dr. Carnival, navigating a hotel full of America’s most dangerous killers. The game mixes intense combat, roguelite mechanics, and branching exploration with quirky NPCs, phantoms from past runs, and risk-reward systems, but many of these ideas feel more like flashes of promise than fully realized features. Its punk-inspired aesthetic, grim humor, and aggressive style give it a distinct personality, yet the short runtime and underused mechanics make the overall experience feel lighter than it should be.

I really wanted to love Hotel Barcelona. It has such an interesting presentation and game world. But its gameplay is just plain awful. It has a generic roguelite structure, and controlling Justine feels abysmal. The UI is also an overcluttered eyesore. I hope fans of SWERY and SUDA51 find something to love in Hotel Barcelona. But as it is, I just can’t recommend a game that plays this horribly.

Hotel Barcelona is an underwhelming roguelike with lopsided design that simply doesn’t nail the fundamentals that make the genre popular. Head-scratching design choices regarding stingy mechanics that are almost tailor-made to extract joy from your life, mixed with a lack of fluidity and unity of vision make this a hard sell. Even in you love Suda51 and Swery 65, this is not what you hope it will be.

Hotel Barcelona has very scarce redeeming qualities. It’s a subpar roguelike that leans heavily on the reputations of Swery65 and Suda51 without offering much beyond a handful of surreal moments to justify their involvement. Even for those willing to look past the flat dialogue and mediocre visuals, the sluggish and unresponsive gameplay makes it hard to find any enjoyment.