Tokyo Game Show 2023: Brutal Side-Scroller Hotel Barcelona Makes Its Debut, With a Spooky Stephen King Connection

The Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2023 is finally here! Along with a jam-packed lineup, the show brought everything a gaming fan hoped for. The event primarily targeted the Japanese gaming community. However, the show brought forward Hotel Barcelona, a horror side-scroller title with Stephen King’s influence.

The horror title’s first look was saved for the very end of the presentation. Furthermore, the CEOs of White Owls and Grasshopper Manufacture were present to explain more about their joint project. And the horror game’s first look was successfully able to mesmerize the fans of the genre.

Hotel Barcelona comes forward with brutal horror scenes

The collaboration between gaming legends Swery65 (CEO and game designer, White Owls Inc.) and Suda51 (CEO and game designer, Grasshopper Manufacturing Inc.) gave birth to the 2.5D side-scroller horror game Hotel Barcelona. It does not follow the traditional horror route. Instead, it brings forth slasher action scenes and a time-loop twist. The player has to defeat serial killers from all around the United States who have assembled in Hotel Barcelona.

Talking about the name of the title, Swery65 revealed the Stephen King connection. He said, “When I heard the title ‘Hotel Barcelona’, from the beginning I thought it was really good. What came to my mind was my favorite horror movie, ‘The Shining’; The Overlook Hotel.”

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The game is rich in Japanese art styles while also drawing influence from Hollywood horror movies from the 80s and 90s. There are a total of 7 bosses in the game, with Swery65 calling the stage 1 boss Jacob his favorite. However, there are other bosses present in the title for the fans to battle and conquer.

The horror game contains a unique mechanic

While the visual elements of the game are one-of-a-kind, the duo did not hold back on the mechanics. Players have to defeat a series of serial killers present at every level of the hotel to survive. While this may sound challenging, the game designers put in Slasher Phantom move to help the players out. Swery65 said, “To put it simply, Slasher Phantom is a system where your past self helps your current self.” This death loop helps players clear out levels that have started to get difficult with ease.

Hotel Barcelona is set to release on Xbox Series X/S in 2024. What are your thoughts on the first look of the 2.5D horror side-scroller Hotel Barcelona? Let us know in the comments below.

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