Hotel Barcelona Review
Hotel Barcelona, from cult auteurs SWERY and SUDA51, is just too janky.
Hotel Barcelona. Credit: White Owls / CULT Games
Hotel Barcelona is a sidescrolling action roguelite published by CULT Games and developed by White Owls. The game comes from the mind of Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro, the man behind cult classics like Deadly Premonition and D4, partnered with Goichi “SUDA51” Suda, creator of No More Heroes and Killer7. It should be a dream collaboration, and it has nearly everything I would expect from them: bizarre characters, horror homages, and striking art direction. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include satisfying gameplay.
You play as Justine Bernstein, a rookie federal marshal transporting prisoners, when your car crashes. You wake up in a mysterious hotel, and the killer whose spirit mysteriously shares your body, the notorious Dr. Carnival, insists that the Witch you’ve been hunting controls the hotel. Together, you must eliminate the killers infesting the hotel and its surroundings, all while trying to find The Witch, who murdered Justine's father and holds everyone in the hotel trapped. The whole thing is very surreal, and often funny.
Hotel Barcelona. Credit: White Owls / CULT Games
The best part of Hotel Barcelona is its characters. The bizarre cast perfectly fits the game's off-kilter vibe. Character designs come from Hiroaki, known for work for SNK, Tekken 8, and more, and they're stunning. The voice work for Justine and Dr. Carnival is excellent, with their constant moral arguments providing genuine entertainment. Frances Francis, the Tim Curry-obsessed casino operator, is another highlight. The bosses draw from horror subgenres like summer camp slashers, alien invasions, and cannibal tales, each with their own trippy introductions. The game is chock full of all kinds of pop culture horror references and tropes.
Hotel Barcelona is divided into several distinct levels, each themed around different horror subgenres, for example, summer camp slashers and chainsaw-wielding cannibals. Between runs, you return to the hotel itself, which acts as a central hub where you encounter characters who exchange currencies to drive the metaprogression—unlocking skill tree nodes, buying new weapons, or upgrading abilities.
Hotel Barcelona. Credit: White Owls / CULT Games
The problem is that the sidescrolling combat and platforming just don't feel good. Even the fastest weapons feel sluggish, and heavier weapons are slow to the point of being unusable. The parry works well, but it doesn't make up for the sluggishness or the inability to cancel most attacks. Based on the number of enemies and their movement, it feels like combat should be quicker and more responsive. There's noticeable input lag, and the platforming lacks precision. It's just too janky. Maybe I’m spoiled by games like Dead Cells, but this gameplay really dips too far down in quality and lack of polish. There are still some great ideas, like the Slasher Phantoms—ghost copies of you from your previous runs who fight alongside you. I just wish it played better.
The graphics are fine. The 3D character models and environments are decent, although a bit low in detail, as they’re mostly small on the screen. The 2D character portraits are what really shine. They're gorgeous, full of personality and style. I'd genuinely love to watch an anime based on this game with art this strong.
Hotel Barcelona. Credit: White Owls / CULT Games
It's really unfortunate that the gameplay quality just isn't there. Hotel Barcelona has incredible vibes, fascinating characters, and a premise that should work beautifully. The Slasher Phantom mechanic is genuinely cool and innovative. But when the moment-to-moment experience of actually playing feels frustrating rather than fun, everything else can't quite save it. I hope the next collaboration between these two amazing creators is better.
Hotel Barcelona is available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Overall Score: 4/10
Played on: PS5
