An interesting attempt, but questionable synergy? Exceptional ideas that make up Hotel Barcelona and the ultra-addictive gameplay experience they create
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/802/G080238/20251008044/
Writer: Aoi Sugiyura | 2025/10/08 09:00 (UTC)
On September 26, 2025, the new 2D action game “Hotel Barcelona,” a collaboration between game creator SWERY and Takeshi Suda, was released.
This unconventional title, first announced unexpectedly at an event and developed despite initial doubts about its existence, has finally reached release after multiple interviews conducted by 4Gamer. But what exactly is the final product like? Although we had a vague sense from prior information that this would be a game with strong quirks, it’s unclear where precisely those quirks are headed. Let’s jump right into playing the finished version and find out.
SWERY’s Official X Account
A unique 2D action where you fight alongside your own “ghost” of a past self
The story unfolds at the luxury hotel Hotel Barcelona, located on the border between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Rookie federal agent Justine rushes to investigate a hidden secret within the hotel.
Originally, this mission was assigned to the rogue enforcer Mad Fury, who died instantly in an accident. Justine is the only survivor left Image Gallery No.003 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.004 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.005 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
At first glance, it’s just a lavish hotel—but behind the façade lies a deadly “witch’s curse.” Drawn by this power, serial killers from across America have gathered within its grounds, turning the hotel into a nest of murderers and corpses.
Justine is also affected by the curse, forcing her to relive the first day every time she dies. To break free, she must kill both the serial killers reinforcing the curse and ultimately the witch herself.
Still, Justine isn’t helpless. Though normally introverted, her mind harbors a hidden killer: Dr. Carnival. When danger strikes, this alternate personality emerges, taking control of weapons to fight back. Through brutal battles against various serial killers, she gradually uncovers secrets about the witch, Dr. Carnival, and herself.
The game’s flow is straightforward: a stage-clearing 2D action where dying sends you back to the hotel. Upgrades acquired during gameplay are reset upon returning, but resources gathered can be carried over—allowing permanent progression through strategic use.
Each stage features its own unique poster, each paying homage to slasher horror films. Fans familiar with the references may smile knowingly Image Gallery No.007 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
The core mechanics follow the roguelike action lineage, but with key differences. The most noticeable is how randomness is integrated—specifically on a run-by-run basis.
Each stage has a fixed structure, composed of multiple sections: clearing four sections results in stage completion. Each section contains several “doors,” and choosing different doors changes the stage layout entirely, offering varied experiences.
Additionally, enemy placement and rewards are randomized each time. Passing through any door grants either a powerful buff or health recovery. Buffs appear randomly but are displayed on the door itself—so selecting the right one based on your current build becomes essential for stacking buffs effectively.
The game’s biggest feature is the “Slasher Phantom” system—where your past self’s shadow aids in battle. Think of it like a ghost racer: it replays all your previous actions exactly as they happened.
While enemy positions change each run, enemies recognize and target the Slasher Phantom—so even if you don’t actively engage, their presence ensures they’re useful rather than useless.
Moreover, Justine gains stat boosts whenever she takes “backlash blood”—a mechanic that also applies when her Slasher Phantom attacks. Teamwork between the real character and phantom results in stronger enemies being destroyed rapidly, progressively enhancing your abilities.
Backlash blood can only be gained through close-range combat and gradually fades over time. While ranged attacks are safer, they don’t grant backlash blood—so you’re encouraged to fight up close Image Gallery No.010 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.011 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
When backlash blood is maxed out, you can spend it to activate “Dr. Carnival Awakening,” a powerful full-screen attack—but this consumes all your backlash blood, so save it for critical moments Image Gallery No.012 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Before each stage boss battle, psychedelic and meaningful cutscenes are inserted—adding atmosphere to the fight. Each has subtle background lore that adds a slightly unpleasant aftertaste afterward—a clear homage to horror films Image Gallery No.013 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.014 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.015 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Repeated attempts gradually refine your understanding of each section’s layout, leading to smoother coordination and more efficient progression—a satisfying experience hard to find elsewhere. By layering increasingly polished behaviors on stage layouts, the game becomes progressively easier to conquer.
Fixing the stage structure while introducing “Slasher Phantom construction” as a new gameplay element—and concentrating build aspects into buffs—is an especially clever idea. The way enemy placement or time-of-day changes affect play feel is also thoughtfully implemented.
Each stage operates independently and can be tackled solo, but continuing from previous stages allows you to carry over buffs—especially useful since equipment gets strengthened through continuity. So tackling them in sequence generally yields better results Image Gallery No.016 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.017 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Each system is highly unique… but their synergy feels slightly off
Individually, the systems are impressively crafted—but some combinations create friction. The most noticeable issue lies in a mismatch between what the game demands of players and what players can actually do.
The overall feel of this game leans toward being relatively “heavy” for a side-scrolling action title. Attacks have long animations with narrow cancel windows, and dodge distances are short—so careless moves often lead to painful counterattacks.
Additionally, enemies deal high damage generally; one hit frequently knocks off half your initial health. This means you must either land attacks from safe positions or carefully observe enemy movements before countering.
Regular enemies flinch immediately upon being hit—but armored ones don’t flinch until their gauge is fully depleted. Landing strong hits can quickly chip away at that gauge, so timing them right becomes crucial Image Gallery No.018 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Of course, this isn’t inherently bad—it’s a deliberate design choice that adds to the game’s fun. However, there seems to be a fundamental dissonance between these gameplay mechanics and the “Slasher Phantom” and “Backlash Blood” systems.
While character behavior and damage balance demand vigilance and careful observation from players, the systems themselves actively encourage aggressive attacks and fast progress. Moreover, Slasher Phantoms occupy significant screen space—when multiple appear at once, reading enemy movements becomes difficult.
The hitstop effect is very small, making damage exchanges feel less impactful. Combined with obscured visuals, it’s easy to take damage without realizing it Image Gallery No.019 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Also, changing the order of section completion erases recorded Slasher Phantoms—this doesn’t mesh well with roguelike mechanics. When building a Phantom strategy, choosing specific doors for buffs becomes impossible.
Regardless of difficulty level, such friction between systems creates stress—and it’s hard to resolve. While the game clearly signals: “Reward close combat” and “Reward strategic route planning”—the actual design makes executing these goals difficult. This often leaves players struggling to accept their own failures or defeats.
Still, every individual mechanic is well-crafted, and the idea of using Slasher Phantoms for strategy remains genuinely interesting. Changing door choices—e.g., opting for buff vs HP recovery—or adjusting cancel mechanics might significantly alter how enjoyable the game feels upon playing.
A roguelike-style permanent upgrade system that rewards careful play
Upon death, you return to the hotel and use collected resources for permanent upgrades. These follow a skill tree format: obtain prerequisite upgrades before unlocking new ones.
One unusual aspect is that only a small portion of stage-clearing resources are saved—most reset each run. So in practice, players must rely solely on what they carry back from one successful run to make progress.
This is actually a very well-balanced design. If all accumulated resources carried over after “Slasher Phantom runs” (quick, early deaths), progression would become too easy. Instead, thorough exploration rewards substantial resources—ensuring that if you push through to boss defeat, skill unlocks are nearly guaranteed.
The reward for hard work is clearly visible, which strongly boosts motivation to keep playing.
There’s also a wide variety of uses for collected resources—not just unlocking skills, but purchasing new weapons or converting them into coins for mini-games. This makes it unlikely that players will end up with “excess” resources after full unlocks.
Some resources can be stored in the vault, and relatively easy-to-collect resources like “ears” are convertible—so shortages of specific materials rarely result in waste Image Gallery No.022 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience Image Gallery No.023 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Using “re-attempt tickets” earned via ears allows instant retry of boss fights. The previous Slasher Phantom remains, and your health is fully restored—so it’s wise to hold onto these for key moments Image Gallery No.024 thumbnail / An interesting attempt but poor synergy? The exceptional ideas composing “Hotel Barcelona” and their combination lead to an extremely niche gameplay experience
Hotel activities are deeply tied to adventure elements, serving as a space for expressing character stories and world-building. Standing in front of mirrors triggers conversations with Dr. Carnival; staff and guests offer lore about the game’s universe.
Story snippets appear only at key moments—this design fits perfectly with how players engage in repeated runs without disrupting pacing. This thoughtful approach makes it much more enjoyable to keep replaying.
Still, some menu-related aspects are slightly frustrating. Poor run results yield minimal resources—and naturally no new unlocks—but each retry forces the skill tree to pop up automatically every time. These small inconsistencies accumulate over multiple sessions and can become annoying.
It would be great if such issues could be adjusted or improved in future updates.
Hotel Barcelona is packed with distinctive ideas. Using Slasher Phantoms to pummel enemies is immensely fun, and creating variety within a fixed stage layout shows great ingenuity.
Characters and world-building are richly compelling, and the cutscenes are impressively crafted. As SWERY once described this game as a “love letter to horror films,” even minor behaviors carry traces of references—making it an outstanding experience for those who recognize them.
However, it’s hard not to notice rough edges in how elements are combined and interconnected. The sharp parts are truly sharp, and the good parts are genuinely excellent—making one wish this game could be “perfectly cooked” with further refinement. With just a few more fine-tuned adjustments… you can’t help but think it might become absolutely exceptional.
Of course, despite its strong quirks, the game is fully conquerable. It’s undeniably unique in its combination of mechanics—some may even see its eccentricities and absurdity as part of its concept or shared with its inspirational sources. For fans who enjoy such intense, niche experiences, this could be worth playing just to savor those qualities.