HOTEL BARCELONA

So far so good! Bit of a learning curve as far as the difficulty, but I'm enjoying the challenge.

Thought the game was a bit rough when I played the demo, but I had plenty of fun with it after all the fixes. Explored almost everything in about 5 hours (minus DLC).

Hotel Barcelona is a side-scrolling, hack-and-slash, horror Metroidvania developed by the brilliant minds behind [b]No More Heroes[/b] (SUDA51) and [b]Deadly Premonition[/b] (SWERY). Step into the uncharted world of a mysterious hotel that appears luxurious but harbors some of the most dangerous serial killers. You play as Justine, a timid rookie U.S. Marshal sent to investigate Hotel Barcelona, which is situated between the borders of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The GPS constantly flickers between these two areas making you wonder what going on. However, Justine is not exactly the investigator; she acts as the chauffeur for a bounty hunter named Mad Fury, who is the main "exterminator" of these threats. Unfortunately, Justine’s "questionable" driving leads to a crash that results in Mad Fury's death. Justine awakens in confusion inside the hotel, with no memory of ever checking in. It is then revealed that, while she appears meek on the outside, she harbors a demonic entity named "Dr. Carnival" within her. When Dr. Carnival takes control, Justine transforms into a fierce, deadly warrior who revels in slaying her enemies with a completely different personality. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Hotel Barcelona is no ordinary mafia hideout; it is, in fact, the lair of a mystical witch who has enlisted the help of some of the most notorious serial killers across the United States. All of them converge on the hotel, seeking shelter or a chance to continue their reign of terror. The central question remains: Can Justine and Dr. Carnival cleanse Hotel Barcelona, or will their souls be trapped there forever? What I like about the game: [list] [*] Failure doesn't mean it's game over. I like the idea that when you die, a "copy" of yourself is created as a Slasher Phantom (similar to Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu). This phantom essentially replicates everything you did in your previous life and can inflict damage on enemies in real time. This mechanic can be particularly effective when fighting bosses, as it allows you to deal more damage. [*] I like how each level is designed with a movie theme style trope that ties into a Classic Horror Movie with a vintage 80s style poster. [/list] The only feedback I have with the game [list] [*] I find the Wendigo enemy, which you encounter in the later stages, to be very infuriating. When it attacks, it pushes you back a significant distance while you continue to take damage, and you can't escape, similar to a deadly stunlock. [/list] [h1] Baseline Questions [/h1] [table] [tr] [th]Question[/th] [th]Answer[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Fun factor[/th] [th] Having fun means immersing yourself in the thrill of the game, whether it's through taking down your enemies to fill up your Dr. Carnival Meter or by employing a more strategic approach. Once the meter is full, you can unleash a powerful ability that can wipe out most enemies on your screen. I also enjoy playing the game using a Gun-Fu style when I want to switch things up from the usual hack-and-slash approach. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Length[/th] [th] If your main goal is to complete the storyline, you can likely finish the game in about 4 to 6 hours. However, if you aim to achieve 100% completion, expect it to take around 12 hours. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Ease of learning[/th] [th] The game is quite straightforward, as there are clear instructions on how to play and the controls to use. More advanced instructions appear depending on the scenario. However, mastering parrying takes practice, and no instructions can replace that experience. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Player interaction[/th] [th] Surprisingly, the game have coop mode which allows you to play with three others. You can progress through the story together and clear levels and bosses fast. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Strategic value[/th] [th] The strategy stems from the skill tree as you decide which area will you invest in first as one of the twist in this game you can only hold on to a % of all the resources you gathered while the rest gets forfeited. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Balance[/th] [th] The game is pretty balanced overall, as there are multiple difficulty levels for different skill levels. Each run, you can get various modifiers that can enhance or hinder you. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Visual design[/th] [th] The game has a distinct, chaotic, and stylized visual design that reflects the signature eccentricities of both brilliant creators. Some segments feature a psychedelic and anime influence that mixes surrealism with high-contrast colors. In addition you have a 1980s style horror aesthetic overall combined with blood and gore being a main part of the design as you gib enemies and shower the screen with oceans of blood. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Theme[/th] [th] The game serves as a satirical homage to American horror cinema history, while also exploring themes of trauma and survival. Justine grapples with the mysterious death of her father and the ongoing struggles of feeling trapped in a metaphysical purgatory within herself. Her mind and the one associated with Dr. Carnival are two distinct entities; when one emerges, the other retreats deep into her heart. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Replay value[/th] [th] The game features a New Game Plus mode, which adds to its replay value. Additionally, it includes a roguelike mechanic that lets you revisit various areas of the hotel with different weapon combinations, modifiers, and outfits. [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Price[/th] [th] Price looks reasonable in my opinion [/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Expandability[/th] [th] The game can easily be expanded as the world of Barcelona can have new areas of the entire resort opening up alongside having new bosses, weapons, and combos. [/th] [/tr] [/table] If you want to see footage of my stream of Hotel Barcelona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGRQS9Ez4qc Steam Community Group: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/ArdentVitalNation Steam Curator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43629573/

At launch the game had technical issues with things like input delay, since then they've put in many patches and fixes and have made the game FAR more enjoyable to play. it isn't the most challenging metroidvania roguelike, but I feel that helps make this game a good "entry point" into the genre. the characters are all unique and quirky in a way to remind you not to take the game too seriously. overall a solid 8/10 after the "New Management" update, in my opinion.

I put too many hours into this game, hopefully I'll be able to get a refund, just having too many crashes, or sprite/character freezing issues (me, enemies, and replay ghost would freeze, but sound , background movement and pausing all worked) would have to alt+F4 and restart, would ruing a full stage run with splatter boosts, movement boots, and what not. basically causing me to lose the chance and getting a run through all story stages without a break achievement, For a 2d metroidvania style game, it didn't really feel like a metroidvainia, more of a stage speed runner with crappy hit boxes and parrying mechanics.

Pretty fun after the last update.

Sure, yeah, okay yeah sure, sure, okay, yeah why not okay sure, sure. Sure. Suuuuuuurre.

The work put into Under New Management can't be understated. In a sea of games where developers are happy to just leave their work broken and abandoned, it's clear that the team at White Owls really wanted to make something good and refused to stop until they'd addressed all the initial issues.

It's good and I had no idea Swery could write like this, as someone that only knows him from deadly premonitions. It's camp and grungy but in a way that feels very deliberate, given how it channels B-movies and early 80s horror movies. Gameplay wise and given they've redone the combat (which I haven't played the original version), it plays quite well even if it can get a bit dull here and there, but the story lends enough intriuge that It's been keeping me going so far. Though I should state, the game is quite fun, if sometimes slightly slugish but never in a way that stops me from having fun. It's 2D Hades story telling with the gameplay of Deadcells - if it was made by Asmodev. The 2D animated cutscenes are quite fantastic too, and I feel a lot of the budget probably went to the story telling and animation.

It’s simply a fun game. I played on Newcomer, and it wasn’t difficult at all. Time flew by before I knew it.