HOTEL BARCELONA Game Review – A Bonkers Ride from SUDA51 & SWERY!

SUDA51 Meets SWERY!?

Hotel Barcelona Game Review

PC/PS/XBOX

9/26/25

White Owls Inc./CULT Games

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you combined the unorthodox punk stylings of legendary game designer and director Suda51 with the Lynchian storytelling of game creator SWERY, best known for his cult classic release Deadly Premonition? Wonder no longer, as a duo that seemed almost destined to cross paths at one point or another has done just that with the release of HOTEL BARCELONA, a 2.5D action roguelite. Is Hotel Barcelona worth checking into? Or is it the equivalent of trying to survive a night within the cockroach infested corridors of a Motel 6? Let’s find out in our full review!

To give you an idea of what you should expect from HOTEL BARCELONA tonally, here are just a few games that Suda51 and SWERY have created independently of one another: Killer7 (one of my favorites), No More Heroes, the aforementioned Deadly Premonition, The Good Life, Let It Die (though Suda was more of an executive producer on that project), and Lollipop Chainsaw, which even had James Gunn involved. What do all of those games have in common with one another? Well, they are all a bit warped. And by a bit, I mean, a lot. In fact, it's the dreamlike stylings and abstract ideas that these two visionary creators bring to video games that have kept them in the industry for such a long time. Many players are willing to forgive some of these titles’ shortcomings due in part to how bizarre and creative they are. Sure, neither creator has ever quite garnered mainstream success — maybe the closest example of that would be No More Heroes — but certainly both men have achieved a cult following that has allowed them to continue on in the gaming industry.

On paper, you’d think HOTEL BARCELONA would be one of the most creative, abstract videogames ever conceived given the pedigree of who’s behind it, but the truth of the matter is, it's a rather standard roguelite action game, masked by a bit of insanity and the occasional well-intended unique concept that doesn’t always pan out. You’ll take control of Justine, a federal marshal who finds herself possessed by a murderer known only as Dr. Carnival. The dynamic between these two characters ends up being one of the more interesting aspects of HOTEL BARCELONA, as their conversations are reminiscent of the classic trope of having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. 

HOTEL BARCELONA attempts both oddball humor and the feeling of relevance for today’s world in its writing, poking fun at such things as social media and the endless pursuit to gain arbitrary follower counts, as just one example. The game is also constantly paying homage to classic horror franchises, whether it be featuring a bartender in a room eerily similar to The Shining, or through the opening level — a campground which is clearly paying tribute to Friday the 13th. It’s not just horror though, as the game also flexes its sense of humor with locations like “Long Pig Steakhouse,” a clearly cannibalistic nod to Longhorn Steakhouse, the American restaurant chain founded in Georgia. It gives meaning to its surrounding cast too, even going as far as to give reasoning and value to boss characters’ existence, similar to how the ranked assassins in No More Heroes were fleshed out. Upon defeating a boss you learn what drove them to becoming blood thirsty killers, which I found rather interesting. 

The hotel itself also works effectively as a central hub. This hotel is essentially set up as a trap location for the worst of the worst in America and is also where you’ll perform various upgrades before heading out on your next run. You’ll never quite feel comfortable in this location by design, which I thought made for an unsettling and enjoyable backdrop. As you progress the hotel will even offer fun minigames, like my personal favorite, pinball. The hotel even allows handicaps to be activated, offering bonus perks at the cost of more difficult progression.  But buried beneath the artistic flair of HOTEL BARCELONA is a decidedly less interesting and frustrating game.

Once you’ve become acquainted with the hotel and its many unusual characters, it's time to select a level and begin slashing your way through a slew of bizarre enemies using a variety of weapons ranging from knives to axes, and even buzz saws. The game is run-based, meaning you’ll want to topple foes over and over again to grow stronger, upgrading your character and eventually reaching a point where you are powerful enough to take down the end-level boss and progress to the next area. If that all sounds like you’ve played it before, it's because you have, unfortunately — and it was probably better executed — though credit has to be given for HOTEL BARCELONA trying some different things for a genre that has grown far too long in the tooth.

You’ll begin each run by choosing a level, which more can be unlocked as you defeat bosses. You then continue on by selecting your loadout, which includes a main weapon, a gun, and an unlockable costume which seems to be for aesthetics only. From there players set out to slay everything that stands in their way. Each area features a variety of different paths to take, with doorways available that supply you with various perks — the likes of which can increase speed or restore health. So while much of the game does take place on a 2D plane, there is some room for exploration, meaning that most runs will at least feel somewhat different from one another. I also noticed certain changes when starting new runs, like my character being very large or enemies spawning in different points. Even still, I found the level design a bit uninspired and uninteresting. 

But what is a bit more interesting are servants — versions of your former self — fighting alongside you whenever you die on a run and try again. This is essentially your previous self helping you along so that you can make it further and further. It's a neat concept, and I must admit, it was pretty cool to watch, almost reminding me a bit of a ghost racer in Mario Kart or something along those lines. Outside of having your spirit fight and defend, you can follow them to get a good idea of which way you traveled previously if you wish to try a different path. The game also features an online mode where it appears that you can invade other players' runs and even take part in battles, though I couldn’t test any of that during the review process. Ideas such as these and even a timer at the top of the screen designed to add tension make you wish that the act of actually playing HOTEL BARCELONA was more fun than it is.

Instead, combat is a clunky affair that never feels as good as it should, the platforming is quite poor, and the early grind may prove all too much for some players, as the first many upgrades you unlock just don’t feel all that meaningful.

The combat features your standard light and heavy attacks, the ability to guard, and a parry system. I, like many of my comrades here at the channel, suck at parrying, but my own shortcomings aside, HOTEL BARCELONA just doesn’t feel very responsive in any regard. If contending with the unresponsive controls weren’t enough, you also have a stamina bar to keep an eye on, which only adds to the frustration. So many times I was trapped by enemies, unable to move as I was beaten to a bloody pulp. This was more common with bosses who felt poorly designed, with annoying patterns that can thankfully be dumbed down a bit by the game’s easy difficulty option. That, however, comes at the sacrifice of the game becoming too easy, making it even less fun than on the standard normal setting. A special screen-filling attack known as Carnival Awakening can be earned through successful combos and sometimes bail you out of tough situations, but it's difficult to earn and can be lost quite easily before you even get to execute it.

Making matters even worse are the various currencies the game throws at you, which seem entirely unnecessary. There’s coins, teeth, bones, and even a character dedicated to trading you ears — all in an effort for players to simply use the upgrade tree and purchase new weapons. I feel like there was an easier way to achieve the same result, though I understand wanting to flesh out the hotel and give its characters meaning. Because of these reasons and more, it's hard to imagine a large number of gamers sticking around for the 15–20 hours it might take to see everything the game offers, even if it does have decent replay value with remixed enemies and whatnot. 

Visually, HOTEL BARCELONA is a mixed bag. On one hand, the character portrait art looks great, and the menu designs are sleek and stylish. On the other hand, the action segments look lackluster, with low-detail character models and backgrounds full of low-resolution textures that look straight out of the Nintendo 64 era. This feels a bit inexcusable for a 2025 release that has somewhat of a budget behind it, especially considering I was playing the game at max settings with 4K resolution. It is overall a dull, washed-out affair — disappointing given the visionaries tied to this project. Even the sound design is nothing to write home about outside of some entertaining voice lines, featuring annoying battle cries, a surprising lack of music in spots, and no use of surround sound features for more modern sound systems that I was able to pick up on. At least the game runs well enough, though do look out for a bug or two. There were two instances where my character became stuck in place, leaving me with no choice but to die. I’m sure most of these bugs can be patched out, but fixing the core gameplay — that could prove more challenging. On Steam Deck, the game ran at the lowest visual settings, but not well, with a fluctuating framerate that makes an already unresponsive game feel all the more frustrating to play — not recommended.

HOTEL BARCELONA has some good ideas, but they don’t all come together, and what you’re left with is a mediocre rogue-lite drenched in a bit of insanity. Had more attention been given to the game’s combat engine and progression, I feel like this would have been a much better game. It has a very cool setting, some fun characters and voice performances, and you can tell the developers wanted to make something a bit different and fun, but in the end, I don’t think I'll be checking back into this hotel, as even with patches, I feel like the bones just aren’t quite there. And with so many great games in this genre — with more forthcoming — it pains me to say that this collaboration between two creators I love feels like a missed opportunity. For creativity alone, I am going to spare HOTEL BARCELONA the broken lamp and award this disappointing title the Table Lamp of Mediocrity.

MEDIOCRE