Hotel Barcelona Review: A Stylish But Stuttering Horror Roguelite Where ‘Jank’ Is Part of the Package

The collision of two of Japanese gaming’s most idiosyncratic minds, SUDA51 (No More Heroes) and SWERY65 (Deadly Premonition), was always destined to produce something abrasive, stylish, and deeply unconventional. Hotel Barcelona, their collaboration, delivers precisely that—a 2.5D side-scrolling horror-action roguelite set in a cursed Appalachian hotel, but its deliberate subversion of modern gameplay standards makes for a stay that is often more frustrating than frightening. The title’s core loop and execution embody the critical assessment: “Everywhere better roguelike games go right, this hotel-set horror goes left.”

The Anti-Roguelike: Clunky Combat and Questionable Design

The game’s premise is pure grindhouse: you play as Justine, a U.S. Marshal whose mind is shared with a serial killer alter ego, Dr. Carnival, trapped in the eponymous hotel, which is a gathering point for America’s most notorious murderers. The objective is to clear out the hotel’s seven horror-genre-themed zones, each culminating in a unique, brutal boss.

Where successful modern roguelikes like Dead Cells or Hades prioritize ultra-tight, fluid combat and immediate responsiveness, Hotel Barcelona consciously opts for the opposite.

• Leaden and Unresponsive Controls: Combat, which features a mix of melee weapons (axes, buzzsaws) and clunky firearms, feels heavy, slow, and often unresponsive. Melee attacks have a noticeable wind-up, making timing difficult, and player input lag frequently results in unfair damage, turning simple encounters into a struggle against the controls themselves.
• Weightless Combat Feedback: Despite the game’s blood-soaked aesthetic and claim to being a slasher-horror hybrid, impacts lack visceral feedback. Slicing through enemies often feels like gently tapping them with the flat of a knife, a significant letdown for an action game built around gore.
• Weak Progression Incentives: While a massive skill tree and various upgradable weapons exist, the buffs and modifiers collected during a run (like a slight critical rate increase in the rain) often feel insignificant, failing to provide the immediate, exciting power spikes that are the lifeblood of the roguelite genre.

The “Slasher Phantom” Mechanic: A Unique Twist on Death

The game’s most inventive and genuinely captivating mechanic is the “Slasher Phantom” system, a unique approach to the genre’s typical death-as-progression loop.

When Justine dies, a ghost or “Slasher Phantom” of her previous run is left behind. On the next attempt, this phantom fights alongside you, faithfully replicating every move and attack you performed in your last life. This feature transforms failure into a strange, one-player co-op experience.

• Strategic Failure: Players can strategically leverage this mechanic, using phantoms to lure enemy aggro, shield the current run, or set up devastating combos on bosses. The most effective phantoms are often created after a strong run, making a glorious death sometimes more valuable than a successful retreat.
• Accumulating Allies: You can stack multiple phantoms (up to four with upgrades), turning your next run into a chaotic, multi-ghost assault team. This innovative system is a clear highlight, showcasing the creative synergy of SUDA51 and SWERY.

Style Over Substance: The Narrative and Aesthetic

Visually and conceptually, Hotel Barcelona is a standout. It successfully blends a 2.5D side-scroller format with a grindhouse, punk-rock horror aesthetic, filled with references to classic horror cinema, most notably The Shining‘s Overlook Hotel.

However, the execution of the narrative is less polished. The substantial amount of story content is conveyed through dialogue that is often plodding, weak, and suffers from a tired, juvenile sense of humor that feels dated. The narrative ambition—exploring the duality of Justine and Dr. Carnival—is hampered by poor writing and sometimes distracting technical quirks.

Final Check-Out: For the Cultists Only?

Hotel Barcelona is an acquired taste—a niche title for a very specific audience. It proudly wears its flaws, with technical issues like input lag and repetitive asset usage seeming to be part of the “deliberately unconventional” artistic vision championed by the developers. The high CPC keywords of the roguelite genre promise tight, addictive gameplay, but this title substitutes that precision for an eccentric experience defined by its own strange rules.

For die-hard fans of SUDA51 and SWERY65 who crave their unique, messy style and are willing to overlook fundamental gameplay issues, the inventive Slasher Phantom system and the surreal, bloody world will offer a distinctive—if flawed—thrill. For those seeking a highly polished, mechanically refined action roguelike, this hotel will be an early check-out. It’s a game that is brilliant in concept, but frustrating in practice, ultimately sacrificing accessibility for its distinct, chaotic vision.

Available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.