https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826293950

Here's The Thing:
You checked into a hotel as yourself, but wait, you don’t recall doing that… Somehow you just are there in one of the rooms! Were you kidnapped? Kidnapped someone in a drunken stupor!? Now you must gather your wits about you and decide to either follow a bunch of written stationery left by an unseen force or text messages, again, by an unknown entity.



Title-wise, it must’ve omitted “four-star scare house” as a surprise welcome because your accommodation will primarily consist of shrieking, shuddering and a marathon’s worth of sprinting. The moment you come into being in your hotel room, it’s all a blur except for a sense of unease and impending doom written both on paper and electronically. The contents of which either disclose where you should go next, what you’d do well to stay far away from or who’s coming for you…!

While there are strictly no weapons where you’re going, you do have to keep up appearances and refrain from warring with yourself by monitoring your “mental health” and “sanity level”. The former depletes due to sustained injuries and is also based on the severity of the latter, which rises or spikes when catching sight of scares, lingering in pitch black areas, and naturally while being hunted. Autosaves are plentiful but deaths are not inconsequential as each one, be it instant or being mauled slowly, will drain your lifeforce in the form of a “battery percentage”. You have about 20 chances before the current run is reset and you are born anew.

I shouldn’t say any more, for fear of ruining things but you’re in for a tricky and freaky treat that will indulge in manipulating you. And although my time there was fleeting, I’d wager it lasted for about two hours when I arrived at the two endings. There may well be more to the experience, but since I was too adept, I didn’t die nearly as much as I should’ve~

TIPS:
1) Enemies have but one weakness; doors!


What it lacked in unforgettable centerpieces and distinguishable locations, it pulled off the queasy maze-like corridor layouts and stuffy walls of black. In fact, it’s comparable to your upscale hotels except this one is fitted with a shifty mind of its own. The enemies are neither terribly fearsome nor original but that doesn’t bother me, because something else is the shot-caller and it goes by many a name!

It may also be devoid of a personality in terms of music whereby there is no elaborate score, but rather sound effects disrupt and carry the ordeal just as commendably. Pretty standard stuff like the racing heartbeat, hurrying footsteps and pounding on doors but minimalism is sometimes the sweet spot! I was pleasantly taken aback and jumped out of my skin by a series of “dun” effects…


I’d say that in terms of plot likeness, it’s Hotel Del Luna (2019) but darker and with more hauntings à la The Shining (1980), plus some out-the-box “messing with you” spunk of Layers of Fear (2016). Cards on the table, the story by itself isn’t all that outstanding as opposed to its nuanced take of the fever dream concept. The staging of that period of uncertainty and abruptness at every turn is where the deepest, most sinister horrors lie dormant but ready to spring up and come after you.

I tell you, having to inference between two parties like angels and demons on your side was a sight to behold. Supposedly, they guide you in order for you to go to the next place, wherever that may be? But better yet, the more prevalent issue that should be addressed; which is the right one to trust? Both command an authoritative presence but otherwise polite façade with unfortunately no obvious lunacy… until you go against them. I actually perished quite a handful of times before realizing that I was fooled into bringing about my own demise!

Debate how you’d like about what happens to us humans but I’d envision that waywardness, sensory overloading and a sliver of bliss are expected responses when one is relinquished from earthly responsibilities. That is maybe until anguish transpires in reaction to the irrevocable process, followed by denial exemplified here by a great deal of attempts in fleeing from the inevitable.

Lastly, I found the total abandonment of “whatever it was that happened to you before” to be both emancipating and devastating. Normally, even if it pains yourself to ask something, which in this case is like “how did you get here” and “when did you arrive”, wouldn’t you want to know who or what you left behind!? Or maybe you already do, and it wasn’t a good memory; so there’s no point in crying over past spilt blood…?
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826300267



The Steam store page was like a brochure for the fictional establishment, but instead of room service, you get what can only be referred to as “room-to-be-service”. By that I mean there’s a degree of exaggeration in what was marketed… or rather a smaller and simpler version than that described. Well, to be perfectly reasonable, it makes sense given the pricing.

But having played it, I noticed choices did not really make that much of a difference and a few weren’t reflective of what I did. For instance, choosing to not fill in anything for the questionnaire triggered a message anyway saying that I acted in the way that I had stated… Or how the so-called “consequences” were mere empty threats, for the most part.

Another issue I had was with the sanity mechanics’ consistency and logic. Whereby events that I found disturbing didn’t do squat to my avatar and meanwhile the meh moments were pants-shi**ing! Half the time, getting a reaction out of me was either like waiting for a kettle to boil or suddenly stepping into the zone of motion tracking lights…
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826298911

Maybe it’s just my killer intuition when it comes to horror plots but I thought the story was considerably feeble. For a number of reasons but the most being, for starters, it gave the gist away fairly quickly and the mystery along with it. If it was a little hard to get, at least your doubts would still be flitting with you during the chase scenes.

Furthermore, it just wasn’t enough for it to peddle the premise to us, it gave the farm away by reiterating what was just said several times over and in a cryptically awkward manner. I couldn’t tell if it was me or the dev that was at a loss for words~



x Sometimes touching the faceless ones won’t hurt you.
x One of whom got suspended in the air with a “hunting” pose.
x The lady ghost cannot walk through a certain door frame?
x Countless doors locked but there are the occasional ones that cannot be interacted with whatsoever.
x “New message” prompt doesn’t go away and covers the bottom right of the screen.


~ Prompt/caption meant for bad ending was visible in the good outcome.
~ Psychedelic effects can’t be toggled off.
~ Pressing space is like doing a high-jump each time!



Last Words?
Best kind of hotel; way affordable and as unpredictable as it was a symbolic hell! Like any other accommodation, it overpromised its services. But at the end of the day, the stay well… stays with you~

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #182 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code] [h1]”WELCOME TO HOTEL SCARE-LIFE-OUTTA-YA!!"[/h1] https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826293950 [u]Here's The Thing:[/u] You checked into a hotel as yourself, but wait, you don’t recall doing that… Somehow you just are there in one of the rooms! Were you kidnapped? Kidnapped someone in a drunken stupor!? Now you must gather your wits about you and decide to either follow a bunch of written stationery left by an unseen force or text messages, again, by an unknown entity. [h1][u][+]PROS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:) THE GUEST OF HORROR~[/h1] Title-wise, it must’ve omitted “four-star scare house” as a surprise welcome because your accommodation will primarily consist of shrieking, shuddering and a marathon’s worth of sprinting. The moment you come into being in your hotel room, it’s all a blur except for a sense of unease and impending doom written both on paper and electronically. The contents of which either disclose where you should go next, what you’d do well to stay far away from or who’s coming for you…! While there are strictly no weapons where you’re going, you do have to keep up appearances and refrain from warring with yourself by monitoring your “mental health” and “sanity level”. The former depletes due to sustained injuries and is also based on the severity of the latter, which rises or spikes when catching sight of scares, lingering in pitch black areas, and naturally while being hunted. Autosaves are plentiful but deaths are not inconsequential as each one, be it instant or being mauled slowly, will drain your lifeforce in the form of a “battery percentage”. You have about 20 chances before the current run is reset and you are born anew. I shouldn’t say any more, for fear of ruining things but you’re in for a tricky and freaky treat that will indulge in manipulating you. And although my time there was fleeting, I’d wager it lasted for about two hours when I arrived at the two endings. There may well be more to the experience, but since I was too adept, I didn’t die nearly as much as I should’ve~ [b]TIPS:[/b] 1) Enemies have but one weakness; [spoiler]doors![/spoiler] [h1]:) PLENTY OF ROOMS FOR YOU![/h1] What it lacked in unforgettable centerpieces and distinguishable locations, it pulled off the queasy maze-like corridor layouts and stuffy walls of black. In fact, it’s comparable to your upscale hotels except this one is fitted with a shifty mind of its own. The enemies are neither terribly fearsome nor original but that doesn’t bother me, because something else is the shot-caller and it goes by many a name! It may also be devoid of a personality in terms of music whereby there is no elaborate score, but rather sound effects disrupt and carry the ordeal just as commendably. Pretty standard stuff like the racing heartbeat, hurrying footsteps and pounding on doors but minimalism is sometimes the sweet spot! I was pleasantly taken aback and jumped out of my skin by a series of “dun” effects… [h1]:) OUT ON A LIMB-O, ASSUME THE WORST-[/h1] I’d say that in terms of plot likeness, it’s [b]Hotel Del Luna (2019)[/b] but darker and with more hauntings à la [b]The Shining (1980)[/b], plus some out-the-box “messing with you” spunk of [b]Layers of Fear (2016)[/b]. Cards on the table, the story by itself isn’t all that outstanding as opposed to its nuanced take of the fever dream concept. The staging of that period of uncertainty and abruptness at every turn is where the deepest, most sinister horrors lie dormant but ready to spring up and come after you. I tell you, having to inference between two parties like angels and demons on your side was a sight to behold. Supposedly, they guide you in order for you to go to the next place, wherever that may be? But better yet, the more prevalent issue that should be addressed; which is the right one to trust? Both command an authoritative presence but otherwise polite façade with unfortunately no obvious lunacy… until you go against them. I actually perished quite a handful of times before realizing that I was fooled into bringing about my own demise! Debate how you’d like about what happens to us humans but I’d envision that waywardness, sensory overloading and a sliver of bliss are expected responses when one is relinquished from earthly responsibilities. That is maybe until anguish transpires in reaction to the irrevocable process, followed by denial exemplified here by a great deal of attempts in fleeing from the inevitable. Lastly, I found the total abandonment of “whatever it was that happened to you before” to be both emancipating and devastating. Normally, even if it pains yourself to ask something, which in this case is like “how did you get here” and “when did you arrive”, wouldn’t you want to know who or what you left behind!? Or maybe you already do, and it wasn’t a good memory; so there’s no point in crying over past spilt blood…? https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826300267 [h1][u][-]CONS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:( EMB-HELLISHED!? HOW ABOUT PHONING. IT. IN.[/h1] The Steam store page was like a brochure for the fictional establishment, but instead of room service, you get what can only be referred to as “room-to-be-service”. By that I mean there’s a degree of exaggeration in what was marketed… or rather a smaller and simpler version than that described. Well, to be perfectly reasonable, it makes sense given the pricing. But having played it, I noticed choices did not really make that much of a difference and a few weren’t reflective of what I did. For instance, choosing to not fill in anything for the questionnaire triggered a message anyway saying that I acted in the way that I had stated… Or how the so-called “consequences” were mere empty threats, for the most part. Another issue I had was with the sanity mechanics’ consistency and logic. Whereby events that I found disturbing didn’t do squat to my avatar and meanwhile the meh moments were pants-shi**ing! Half the time, getting a reaction out of me was either like waiting for a kettle to boil or suddenly stepping into the zone of motion tracking lights… https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826298911 [h1]:( AN AMENITY I COULD’VE DONE WITHOUT[/h1] Maybe it’s just my killer intuition when it comes to horror plots but I thought the story was considerably feeble. For a number of reasons but the most being, for starters, it gave the gist away fairly quickly and the mystery along with it. If it was a little hard to get, at least your doubts would still be flitting with you during the chase scenes. Furthermore, it just wasn’t enough for it to peddle the premise to us, it gave the farm away by reiterating what was just said several times over and in a cryptically awkward manner. I couldn’t tell if it was me or the dev that was at a loss for words~ [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x Sometimes touching the faceless ones won’t hurt you. x One of whom got suspended in the air with a “hunting” pose. x The lady ghost cannot walk through a certain door frame? x Countless doors locked but there are the occasional ones that cannot be interacted with whatsoever. x “New message” prompt doesn’t go away and covers the bottom right of the screen. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ Prompt/caption meant for bad ending was visible in the good outcome. ~ Psychedelic effects can’t be toggled off. ~ Pressing space is like doing a high-jump each time! [h1]"-WHERE YOU WON’T BE LIVING ANY TIME SOON~"[/h1] [u]Last Words?[/u] Best kind of hotel; way affordable and as unpredictable as it was a symbolic hell! Like any other accommodation, it overpromised its services. But at the end of the day, the stay well… stays with you~ [h1]8.1 / 10[/h1] [code]A handwritten letter of appreciation to [b]Constant_Art[/b] for the key~[/code]