When SWERY65 and Suda51 announced that they were teaming up, I expected something strange, stylish, and messy in equal measure, and surprise, surprise, Hotel Barcelona is EXACTLY that. It’s a roguelike side-scroller with grind house flair, eccentric characters, and a LOT of blood on the walls, but it’s also guilty of being clunky and a little overwhelming. The result? A game that swings big, hits often enough, but is also guilty of stumbling along the way.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Hotel Barcelona
Hotel Barcelona
Hotel Barcelona

Hotel Barcelona puts players in the role of Justine, a rookie federal agent investigating a remote hotel that supposedly houses America’s most deranged killers. Not long after arriving, she’s possessed by Doctor Carnival, a murderous spirit who boosts her power at the cost of her sanity. Each run through the hotel is framed as a nightmare: die and you wake up in your room, un-possessed, but ready to dive back in.

It’s a very neat and creative way of tying the roguelike loop to the story, whilst the setting itself is pure pulp – serial killers themed after horror clichés, a bartender with a grisly hobby, even monsters in closets. I actually loved just how bizarre it could be, with enough weirdness here to keep you curious about who – or what – you’ll meet next. But hey, what else would you expect from SWERY65 and Suda51, right?

Combat makes up the bulk of the gameplay in Hotel Barcelona, but if I’m being honest, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Justine can swing melee weapons, fire guns, guard, and dodge, whilst there’s also a full skill tree that expands her combos, boosts health, and unlocks new gear. Bosses are a particular highlight, with each dripping with horror-inspired personality and demanding focus and skill as you deal with their deadly attacks. They’re mighty satisfying to take on and really do stand out as some of Hotel Barcelona’s more impressive moments.

“Hotel Barcelona is every bit as wild and unconventional as you’d expect from SWERY65 and Suda51, and that’s its biggest strength and its biggest weakness.”


The problem comes with just how sluggish combat can feel. Heavy swings have a delay, inputs feel sticky, and the pacing can make early fights a chore, and sure, it’s clearly deliberate (especially since upgrades to your attack speed transform the whole feel of the game), but forcing players to grind through clumsy controls and mechanics before combat becomes fun is a very questionable choice. I won’t lie, it was a BIG put-off when I started playing, and after seeing how much the gameplay actually improved once you invest in faster combos, it’s hard to wonder why the developers left it that way.

Unlike similar roguelike tittles, instead of one marathon run, Hotel Barcelona instead splits into short stages, usually no more than twenty-minutes each. Each attempt shuffles things slightly: enemy types, weather effects that change combat flow, or access to buffs, with the structure keeping runs brisk and varied. There can be some difficulty spikes as you figure things out, but with the stage-based setup, there’s always a steady sense of progress that ensures you never feel like you’re being sent back too far.

One clever feature that ties into this is the phantom system. Every time you die, a ghost of your past run sticks around, repeating your previous attacks. Initially, they’re not too reliable, but once you stack a few together, they can shred bosses or crowds of foes with ease. It’s a unique gameplay twist that adds a rewarding sense of strategy to the experience – you’re not just fighting for your current run, but also laying groundwork for the next… it’s really clever and something worth learning to take advantage of.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Hotel Barcelona
Hotel Barcelona

The overall difficulty is pretty flexible too, and alongside standard difficulty settings, players can also use ‘bondage restrictions’ that let you pile on handicaps – removing weapon types, disabling abilities, or even dying instantly from water… that sort of thing. Yeah, it’s a lot tougher, but it also grants more substantial rewards for the player, so those who do enjoy a challenge will appreciate it. It’s a smart system that allows you to shape your challenge whilst avoiding the monotony that often plagues similar roguelikes where the difficulty starts to disappear a little the longer you play.

I think my favourite thing about Hotel Barcelona is its sense of style, with the grind house visuals gloriously grotesque, full of exaggerated gore, and oozing with energy. Blood is absolutely everywhere in the game, so yeah, it’s not for the weak stomached… but hey, it’s not just cosmetic – it powers Doctor Carnival’s Awakening, an ultimate attack that encourages constant aggression. Everything feels intentional from a design perspective, and honestly, it looks great. Sure, the screen can be overwhelming with the sheer amount of detail and HUD at times, but it’s all part of the charm.

Hotel Barcelona Review
7/10

Hotel Barcelona is every bit as wild and unconventional as you’d expect from SWERY65 and Suda51, and that’s its biggest strength and its biggest weakness. It’s stylish, creative, and packed with clever ideas, but also weighed down by sluggish combat and a tendency to overwhelm the player. When it all clicks, it’s a bloody good time, but in those early hours when it doesn’t, it can feel like a grind.

But if you’re willing to stick with it, embrace its quirks, and unlock some new combat abilities, there’s a unique and satisfying roguelike here that’s well worth checking into – just don’t expect your stay in Hotel Barcelona to be perfectly smooth one.

Developer: White Owls
Publisher: Cult Games
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC
Website: https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/JP3918-PPSA21349_00-0703449023643973