Hotel Barcelona Brutal and Stylish Steam Next Fest Demo Favorite

While trying some new demos during Steam Next Fest I really liked the brutal, fun and cool roguelike game Hotel Barcelona the most.

Steam Next Fest usually feels like Christmas for gamers. I get to play many new games for a short time some are bad some are good and some become favorites. But this time because of less free time many Summer Game Fest news or fewer great games it didn’t feel the same. So instead of my usual list of many demos here’s just one game to try: Hotel Barcelona.

This game is a 2.5D side-scrolling roguelike made by two famous creators Suda51 and Hidetaka Swery Suehiro who made Deadly Premonition. It’s inspired by old slasher movies. If you like horror you’ll enjoy the fun references. But even if you don’t like horror the game is made so everyone can have fun.

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You play as Justine a young federal marshal. You are investigating a strange case that brings you to Hotel Barcelona a place that traps serial killers. But there is a surprise another serial killer named Dr. Carnival is trapped inside your mind. Because of this connection you get special powers to help you fight and stop the killers for good.

The game has side-scrolling dungeons you move through. You walk in 2.5D mazes and fight small enemies like lumberjacks with chainsaws and masked bad guys. After beating each level you fight a big boss. Each boss looks like famous scary movie killers. The first boss is Jacob a big strong guy with a hockey mask. His level is set at a place called Diamond Lake campsite. The story is about a summer camp with counselors teenagers and a lake. The next boss is not in the demo but he is related to chainsaws and grilled meat. You can guess what that means.

The places you see look beautiful like hand-drawn cartoons. The pine trees, tents and log cabins in the background clearly show what inspired the game. But Hotel Barcelona is not just about one thing it has a lot more to offer.

When you die in a level you go back to the start and see a ghost of your last try. Like in Forza this ghost shows how you played before. You can't control the ghost but it helps by distracting and fighting enemies. The more you die the more ghosts you get. But each ghost can only go as far as you reached in that try.

I’m not good at roguelike games even though I really like them. In these games you get better gear and upgrade your stuff to try again and again. I need help from the phantoms to do well. So far I’ve only reached Jacob on easy mode. If you like a real challenge try playing on the harder difficulties.

There are lots of things to use in the game. You can unlock new blades, ranged weapons and other gear made for slashing. You can also work through a skill tree to get new abilities. At the start you get many rewards. The game also has fun clothes you can find like a cheerleader outfit a scary sweater called the nightmare sweater and a creepy raincoat.

I haven’t even talked about the hotel yet. You can explore it talk to the staff and other guests and meet many interesting characters with fun voices.

I wasn’t being totally fair earlier because I found two other great Steam Next Fest demos this week: MIO: Memories in Orbit a cute platformer that fans of Ori will enjoy and Mars Attracts a fun theme park game based on Mars Attacks that’s just as crazy as it sounds. But if you only add one game to your wishlist make it Hotel Barcelona. Whether you like roguelikes horror or something in between you’ll probably have a great time with it.