XBOX REVIEW | Hotel Barcelona

Welcome to the Hotel Barcelona, folks. I am going to avoid referencing a famous song for as long as I can in this review. SUDA51 and SWERY65 have finally come together and created a nightmarish land of fun and horror that has been six years in the making. Putting these two iconic developers together makes sense in a way that should have happened a long time ago, and with the world of pop culture horror thrown into the mix, you just know you are going to have a fun time… or are you? In Hotel Barcelona (such a lovely place), you play as Justine, a US Marshal with a deadly secret: she is host to the mind of a notorious murderer called Dr Carnival, who likes to take over as you slice and dice your way through a whole host of nasty serial killers and strange creatures, as you try to discover the secret behind the time loop in the hotel and just what happened to you all those years ago. I want to avoid spoilers as much as I can in this review, as there are so many awesome pop culture and horror references that, once you check in to the Hotel Barcelona, you will never want to leave.

Things I liked!

• Storyline | The story of Hotel Barcelona is tricky to explain without going into spoiler territory, so I will try to keep this section brief. As mentioned, you play as Justine, who has been possessed by Dr Carnival, the spirit of a mass serial killer who, for some reason, wants nothing more than to help you through every loop on your way to defeat the multitude of killers and creatures you will meet during your stay at the hotel. There is a lot of lore to unlock and discover as you play through Hotel Barcelona; every loop can bring a little more clarity to what is going on, and there are a lot of little side plots to uncover along the way too. Hotel Barcelona likes to throw twists and turns throughout the game to keep you on your toes, so you don’t know who or what to trust, or sometimes whether the stories you hear are even real, for the most part. Oh, and I suggest listening to some of the background characters in the game stages as well, for some brilliant Easter eggs for the horror fans out there.

• Gameplay | I quite enjoy the roguelike elements of Hotel Barcelona; the push to uncover new strengths and skills as you fight your way through each level over and over could, I suppose, feel a little repetitive to some, but to me it adds to the charm of the game overall. I like the challenge, and I also enjoy the ability to kick some arse when you progress far enough. If you have the patience for games  like this, you’ll find yourself having a lot more fun than you realise at first. Perseverance, and sometimes sheer rage, helps you overcome a lot of the obstacles the first time, but I suggest taking your time, because there’s a reason you have to loop through: the rewards of story, weaponry, upgrades, and so much more. There are a lot of secrets to be found in Hotel Barcelona, and each level has its fair share of them outside the hotel itself. Couple that with the 2.5D side-scrolling combat, with enemy patterns to learn, traps to avoid and, of course, a whole host of background elements to discover, and I doubt you’ll have the time to get bored of this game.
  
  
• Graphics | Hotel Barcelona is not for the faint of heart; there’s blood and guts galore as you slice and dice your way through each level…Although, for those of you who do find all of that a little bit overwhelming, there’s a popcorn mode which replaces the blood. Each scene, level, and character is beautifully rendered, giving the game a nice kind of retro comic book feel. I particularly like the little homages in each character to certain greats in the horror genre, which, if you’re a fan, you’ll no doubt be smiling to yourself thinking, ‘Yup, I know that reference.’ There is, of course, a lot to see on every level, but it isn’t so busy that you get distracted, although I often did, because I recognised so many Easter eggs I couldn’t help but stop and look. You can tell a lot of love and attention to detail was put into this game, and it’s appreciated.
  
  
• Sound | The sound design of Hotel Barcelona is really good, once you realise a few things, that is. I actually nearly marked the game down to begin with because I thought the voice acting seemed a bit too artificial, like it wasn’t quite real… Until I thought about it: the game looked to be set in the ’80s, and the voice acting reflects the time period, where not everyone was able to express the emotion required of them, and the actors didn’t always get good direction on how to deliver certain inflections. Once I realised that was the case, I started to see the funny side of the occasionally broken speech and odd emphasis on certain words and phrases. The music in the game is fantastically arcadey as well. Hotel Barcelona doesn’t pretend to be a modern movie-type of game; it takes joy in the time periods it’s meant to be set in, and that just gives it a lot of character, which, to me, a lot of games can lack.

Mixed & disliked!

• Occasional Bugs | As I was playing through Hotel Barcelona, I did come across a few bugs here and there, and I don’t mean the biting, buzzing variety. There were occasions where my character would freeze during certain combos and fall through the floor, which ended a few decent runs for me, and there were also a few misfires when it came to the ranged weapons. Honestly, though, other than that, I had a blast playing this game and can’t wait to play more.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 7 Hours
How long to beat the story? A single run can last 30 – 60 minutes depending on skill.
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 18/50 OR 230/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 15 – 20 hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Dead Cells, Katanaut, Hades and of course previous games by SUDA51 and SWERY65

CONCLUSION

Score: 92 /100

Hotel Barcelona is a blood-soaked fever dream where pop culture horror, time loops, and twisted minds check in, and sanity checks out.

I enjoyed my stay at Hotel Barcelona so much that I might never leave again. It’s a wonderful mix of roguelike elements, amazing storytelling and, of course, nostalgic horror, which should keep you coming back time and time again. Hotel Barcelona shows you what can happen when two game designers with very eccentric tastes come together, and I can honestly say I want to see more from this duo in the future. For me, Hotel Barcelona is an awesome game, and I recommend it to fans and newcomers alike.