Play, Don’t Stay, In Bad Hotel [Review]

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Dare you book at room at the Bad Hotel?
Dare you book at room at the Bad Hotel?

I’ve stayed in some pretty nasty hotels in my time, but none of them ever quite got as bad as Bad Hotel.

Bad Hotel is bad in the sense that I wouldn’t want to stay there. Too many bad guys trying to smash it down all the time. Unusual, for hotels, but there you go.

As a game, though, Bad Hotel is fantastic. It’s brilliantly different. It doesn’t care what you think of its weirdness. It’s there to entertain, and does so with charm and wit.

Bad Hotel pits you, a hotel manager, against the various weirdos and creatures who want to destroy your precious hotel. As you earn money from renting out rooms, you can add more rooms and earn more money. Or you can add weapons. Cos hotels have weapons, right? Well, you’d have some on yours if you inhabited the weird universe this hotel is in.

How weird? Your enemies are birds, clouds, and people in swimming gear. No reason. They just are. And the hotelier you welcomes you and sets you up in business quickly turns against you, and hires the deadly swimmers.

As you build, your hotel becomes a musical instrument. You heard me. A musical instrument. The higher you build, the more interesting the tune becomes. The music adds to the atmosphere, the pace, and the hypnotic effect. You know that feeling when you’re playing a great game and you look at the clock and hours have gone by? Bad Hotel does that.

It has its own unique look

Yes, it’s a tower defense game. But no, it’s not like any of the other tower defence games you’ve played. The visuals are very simply styled, but gorgeous nonetheless. The sound effects are excellent, from the pop-pop of your weapons firing to the clickety-click of your points being totalled after each level.

It’s also a game with surprises and humor. It’s a game that will leave you smiling and chuckling with mirth, as well as desperate to dive back in and have another go. Addictive, fun, different: what more could you wish for?

At two dollars, it’s a bit more expensive than many games, but totally worth paying for, and a great idea for a digital stocking filler this Christmas. Excellent fun.

Source: App Store
Thanks: Stuart Dredge

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