Info about HOTEL BARCELONA:

Official game description:
HOTEL BARCELONA ホテル・バルセロナ: A Blood-Soaked, 2.5D Slasher Action Game from SUDA51 and SWERY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A mysterious hotel stands in a remote location on the border between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Its luxurious appearance hides a terrifying truth: it’s a trap for America’s most dangerous serial killers.
You are Justine, a novice federal marshal with a deadly secret - your mind is shared with Dr. Carnival, a deranged murderer with a violent past. Together, you must eliminate every killer in the hotel… and try to survive long enough to escape.
Experience a Unique 2.5D Action System
--------------------------------------
This is not a simple side-scrolling action game. The intense battles require tactical movement, precise timing, and clever use of your abilities. Environments are rich with danger and drenched in 1980s American horror movie atmosphere.
Use Death to Your Advantage: “Slasher Phantoms”
-----------------------------------------------
Every time you die, a memory of your past self is born. These echoes, known as Slasher Phantoms, repeat your exact movements from the previous run, and can deal real damage to enemies.
Use them as shields, allies, or distractions. With each failure, your strength multiplies.
Grow Stronger with Every Drop of Blood
--------------------------------------
The more you fight, the more you’re covered in blood. This isn’t just visual flare. Blood fuels your power.
Fill the Skull Gauge by staying aggressive, and when it reaches its peak, unleash Carnival Awakening: a devastating special attack that unleashes something unstoppable but monstrous.
Seven Horror-Inspired Zones, Seven Deadly Bosses
------------------------------------------------
Explore seven unique areas within HOTEL BARCELONA, each inspired by a different sub-genre of horror.
From haunted mansions to twisted laboratories, each zone contains an unforgettable boss battle that demands analysis, strategy, and quick reflexes.
A Collaboration Between Two Legendary Creators
----------------------------------------------
SUDA51 (No More Heroes, Killer7) and SWERY (Deadly Premonition, The Good Life) team up for the first time in this original horror-action project.
Their distinct styles combine into a surreal, gore-filled, unforgettable experience.
Online Multiplayer: Co-op Missions and PvP Invasions
----------------------------------------------------
At first glance, HOTEL BARCELONA may look like a single-player roguelike. However, the game also features robust online multiplayer if you know how to unlock it. Up to three players can join forces in co-op mode, working together to complete missions and survive the hotel's murderous inhabitants. And for those seeking a more competitive thrill, PvP mode allows a fourth player to invade your world, hunting or being hunted in a brutal cat-and-mouse game.

Release date: 26 Sep, 2025

Categories: Roguelike, Beat 'em up, Action Horror, Cooperative Multiplayer, Competitive Multiplayer, Souls-like Combat, Character Progression, Weapon Customization


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Overall Positive Reception (weight 0.43): Despite some jankiness, players generally find the game to be a fun, stylish, and enjoyable experience. Many express excitement and satisfaction, with some noting its replayability and good entertainment value.
- Engaging & Unique Gameplay Loop (weight 0.37): The game offers a unique roguelike, beat 'em up experience with interesting mechanics that keep players hooked. The combat system, while initially challenging, becomes very satisfying once mastered, offering a fun twist on the genre.
- Satisfying Combat & Progression (weight 0.34): Combat is well-animated with gore and dismemberment, becoming much more enjoyable and pleasant after unlocking combos and upgrading statistics. Mastering the combat system provides a special pleasure for players.
- Strong Visuals & Art Direction (weight 0.3): Reviewers praise the game's phenomenal art direction, excellent graphics, and unique character designs. The visual style, including detailed animations and gore, significantly contributes to the game's overall appeal.
- Weird & Campy Horror Story (weight 0.26): The narrative is described as a psychotic, crazy, and campy plot, filled with horror film references and homages. This unique blend of horror tropes and a bizarre story is a significant draw for players.
- Charismatic Characters & Voice Acting (weight 0.25): The game features lively, charismatic characters brought to life by talented voice actors. Both the Japanese and English voice-overs are highly praised for their quality and ability to give unique personalities to each character.
- Authentic Swery & Suda Experience (weight 0.21): Players consistently highlight that the game perfectly captures the unique, bizarre, and engaging style characteristic of collaborations between Swery and Suda51, making it a must-play for fans of their previous works.
- Abundant Easter Eggs (weight 0.08): Players appreciate the numerous easter eggs hidden throughout the game, especially those referencing other titles like Deadly Premonition, which adds an extra layer of enjoyment for fans.

Common complaints:
- Clunky and Slow Gameplay (weight 0.99): Players frequently report that the game's core gameplay, especially combat, feels clunky, slow, and unresponsive, leading to a frustrating experience. This is particularly noticeable in the early game and for those accustomed to more fluid action platformers.
- Unfair Difficulty & Bosses (weight 0.92): The game is perceived as excessively difficult, with many players finding the early game and boss encounters punishing and unfair. Issues include instant enemy attacks, one-shot mechanics, and bosses with unreasonable attack patterns and high damage, often attributed to poor design rather than earned challenge.
- Lack of Polish & Bugs (weight 0.56): The game suffers from a general lack of polish, with numerous bugs and performance issues reported. This contributes to a feeling of an unfinished product, impacting the overall player experience.
- High Price Point (weight 0.44): Many players feel the game's price is too high for the content and quality offered. The game is considered short and unpolished, leading to a perception of poor value for money.
- Problematic PvP Invasions (weight 0.21): The forced PvP invasion mechanic is a significant source of frustration. Players report invaders often winning due to level discrepancies, poor network conditions, and unfair timing, such as invasions during boss fights, ruining runs.
- Poor Progression & Upgrades (weight 0.17): The upgrade and progression systems are criticized for being grindy, unrewarding, and poorly designed. Players feel that basic abilities are locked behind excessive grinding, and the loss of upgrade materials upon death hinders progress, making it feel like a chore.
- Uninspired Story & Lore (weight 0.15): The game's narrative and world-building are described as uninspired, confusing, and failing to captivate players. Objectives are poorly conveyed, and the story does not leverage the strengths of the developer's previous works.
- Limited Weapon Variety (weight 0.07): There is a perceived lack of weapon variety, with many weapons feeling indistinguishable from each other. Players note that different weapon types often lack unique characteristics or significant damage differences.

Gameplay feedback:
- Roguelite Beat 'em Up Core (weight 0.41): The game is primarily a side-scrolling roguelite beat 'em up, emphasizing repeated playthroughs and an arcade-like structure. It incorporates elements from Souls-like games, such as an invasion mechanic and methodical combat, and a 'die and retry' loop similar to Hades or Dead Cells.
- Varied and Adjustable Difficulty (weight 0.32): The game offers multiple difficulty levels, including 'Easy' to 'Slasher', selectable per stage. Players can also increase difficulty through a 'bondage mode' and past runs can make future attempts easier, providing a flexible challenge.
- Methodical Combat System (weight 0.3): Combat is described as slow and methodical, requiring practice to master. It features a mix of fast and slow attacks, parries, blocks, and evades, with specific combo inputs and attack animations that can lock the player.
- Progression and Replayability (weight 0.29): The game encourages multiple playthroughs with a progression system that includes skill trees, weapon upgrades, and new game+ content. Players collect resources like 'ears' and 'body parts' for upgrades, and 're-entry tickets' to quickly retry bosses.
- Horror Film Aesthetic (weight 0.06): The game's setting and themes are heavily inspired by classic horror and slasher films, with a hotel setting reminiscent of 'The Shining' and homages to other iconic movies.

Performance notes:
- Poor PC Optimization (weight 0.27): Players report significant performance issues, including severe FPS drops and slowdowns, even on high-end hardware. The game is described as poorly optimized, leading to a generally heavy and laggy experience.
- Limited Graphics Options (weight 0.03): The game offers very few graphical settings beyond resolution, limiting players' ability to optimize performance for their specific hardware configurations. This lack of options contributes to the overall poor optimization experience.

Recommendations:
- Mixed recommendations and refunds (weight 0.46): Player sentiment is highly divided, with many recommending the game despite its flaws, while a significant portion cannot recommend it due to issues, leading to refunds. Some players appreciate the 'jank' while others find it unplayable.
- Hopes for future improvements (weight 0.15): Many players express a desire for patches, fixes, and additional content. Some indicate they would reconsider their recommendation or revisit the game if significant updates are released.
- Unique experience, not for everyone (weight 0.14): The game is described as a unique, 'janky,' or 'goofy' experience that appeals to a specific niche. It's recommended for those who enjoy unconventional games or specific themes, but not for players seeking polished, traditional gameplay.
- Consider playing on sale or easy mode (weight 0.07): Some players suggest purchasing the game during a sale or playing on an easier difficulty to better enjoy the story, indicating potential issues with price point or gameplay difficulty.
- Watch story on YouTube (weight 0.02): One player suggested watching the game's story on YouTube instead of playing, implying that the narrative is a strong point but the gameplay might be a barrier.

Other player notes:
- Combat Not Janky (weight 0.08): One dedicated player, after many hours and reaching NG+, disagreed with claims of janky combat. This suggests that while some may find it janky, others perceive it as expected or even enjoyable within the game's style.
- Accessibility Options (weight 0.05): Players are encouraged to experiment with colorblind options and lower the difficulty if needed. This indicates the game offers some accessibility features to enhance the player experience.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players experienced frustration primarily due to technical issues such as bugs, performance problems (lag, unplayable performance), and unresponsive or clunky controls. Other significant causes included unfair difficulty, grindy progression systems, and problematic multiplayer/PvP mechanics that disrupted gameplay.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.19): Satisfaction stemmed from the game's engaging combat, unique mechanics, and compelling story and atmosphere. Players also found enjoyment in mastering controls, overcoming initial challenges, and discovering new content, leading to an overall positive experience despite any flaws.
- Disappointment (weight 0.16): Disappointment was largely driven by the game's overall quality, particularly its technical state on release, including horrifying performance and numerous bugs. Players also expressed dissatisfaction with the combat system, progression, and story, feeling the game did not live up to expectations.
- Excitement (weight 0.13): Excitement was generated by the game's unique roguelike nature, distinct personality, and humor. The collaboration between specific developers (SUDA51 and SWERY) and the game's wild, daring, and wacky style also contributed significantly to player anticipation and enjoyment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players found enjoyment in the game's overall experience, particularly its addicting gameplay, unique style, and well-designed characters. The game becoming more fun after leveling up and its unique blend of chaos also contributed to a positive experience.
- Acceptance (weight 0.05): Acceptance arose from players acknowledging and even embracing the game's jankiness and wonky gameplay. This was often seen as a characteristic of the creators' style, leading players to accept these flaws as part of the overall experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): Confusion was caused by the game's confusing design, unclear mechanics, and a story that often left players not understanding what was going on. Strange character animations and map design also contributed to this feeling.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration was directed towards the game's unique weirdness, distinctive style, and the evident love put into its creation. Players also appreciated the developers' skill and the game's art and sound design.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Players expressed hope for future patches and improvements, indicating a desire for the developers to address existing technical issues and enhance the game's overall quality.
- Mild frustration (weight 0.01): Mild frustration was experienced due to performance issues, bugs, and optimization problems, along with a high price point and stiff character actions. This indicates minor annoyances rather than severe gameplay impediments.
- Mixed (weight 0.01): Players felt mixed emotions regarding co-op and PvP mechanics, finding them both interesting and annoying. This suggests a duality in their experience with these specific game features.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation was felt for the game's story and atmosphere, indicating that these elements resonated positively with players and contributed to their overall experience.
- Helpfulness (weight 0.01): Helpfulness was demonstrated by players providing specific tips for controls and combat, aiming to assist others in navigating the game's challenges and improving their experience.
- Clarity (weight 0.01): Clarity was provided by players explaining game mechanics and correcting misconceptions, suggesting an effort to improve understanding for other players or to clarify their own experiences.
- Determination (weight 0.01): Determination was expressed through the intent to keep playing and improve, indicating a commitment to overcoming challenges and progressing further in the game.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Concern was noted for other PC players experiencing similar issues, highlighting a shared negative experience with technical problems on the platform.
- Defensiveness (weight 0.01): Defensiveness was shown by players refuting common negative reviews about combat, suggesting a desire to defend the game's mechanics against criticism.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Addiction was described as the inability to stop playing the game, indicating a strong engagement and compelling gameplay loop that kept players hooked.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity was sparked by thematic elements such as tolerance towards minorities and the cycle of rebirth, suggesting an interest in the deeper narrative and philosophical aspects of the game.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Desire was expressed as wanting to love the game despite its flaws, indicating a strong emotional investment and a hope for the game to overcome its shortcomings.}