HOTEL BARCELONA News

[p]Dear guests,
[/p][p]A small update has just been rolled out across the hotel. Nothing flashy. No fireworks in the lobby. Just a few things tightened, fixed, and quietly put back where they belong.
[/p][p]What’s changed:[/p]

• [p]Updated the tutorial content in the Prologue stage, as well as adjusting the Prologue stage layout and UI.[/p]
• [p]Updated the activation animations for all Carnival Awakening abilities.[/p]
• [p]Optimised processing performance across the entire game.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Ally achievement could not be unlocked.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where changing the display language while mob NPC dialogue was shown would cause a temporary performance degradation.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where obtaining a weapon as a Special Request reward would not unlock the corresponding journal entry.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Nameless Witch’s magic projectile attacks could sometimes remain stuck to the ground.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple UI-related issues.[/p]

[p]Thank you for your continued stay.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]A Note on the Preview Branch[/h2][p]Please accept our apologies, but residents currently in the Preview Branch will not see this update. We are still gathering feedback (please respond here), and will continue to do so until January the 5th, 2026.[/p][p]
[/p][p]From Osaka to wherever you are in the world![/p][p]- White Owls Inc.[/p][p]
[/p]

[p]Good day, esteemed residents of Hotel Barcelona.[/p][p][/p][p]I’m writing to inform you that a new wing of the hotel has opened.[/p][p]It’s not fully stable yet - some rooms move when you’re not looking - but management insists it’s ready for guests like you. They’re calling it the Preview Branch, though the architects prefer “Temporal Annex” and the ghosts call it “the place where destiny hiccups”.[/p][p][/p][p]Regardless of the name, we’d love you to check in and tell us what feels good, and what feels like a structural anomaly.[/p][p][/p][p]It’s a parallel version of our beloved hotel: familiar, yet full of changes we’re planning to roll out to the main building once they stop wriggling.[/p][p]You can bring your existing luggage (your save file) into this new wing.[/p][p]But if you decide to come back to the original hotel afterward, that luggage may refuse to return with you. Luggage in this place is very temperamental.[/p][p]So please: before entering, follow our safety protocol and make a backup. Think of it as giving your belongings a little vacation safe and far away from supernatural renovations.[/p][p]Also a warning: the Preview wing may contain bugs, glitches, or extremely polite entities who shouldn’t be there. If you encounter anything unusual (or anything that screams) please inform us using the form below. We will log it in the Incident Book for management to review.
[/p]

1. [p]Visit this location to secure your save files:
   
   [c]C:\\Users\\\\AppData\\LocalLow\\The Cult Games Ltd\\HOTEL BARCELONA\\[/c]
   Copy this folder to somewhere safe where it cannot escape.
   [/p]
2. [p]Right-click HOTEL BARCELONA in your Steam Library[/p]
3. [p]Open Properties -> Betas[/p]
4. [p]Select Preview from the drop down menu next to Beta Participation[/p]

[p][/p][p]Once the hotel’s systems finish rearranging themselves, your library will display:[/p][p][c]HOTEL BARCELONA \[preview][/c]
[/p][p]Please write your thoughts here: https://forms.gle/oAEK5LxQ2zhwfLnm8[/p][p]We genuinely rely on your reports to improve the hotel: especially the ones written in panic, as those are often the most accurate.[/p][p][/p][p]So many things![/p][p]The combat choreography has been refined…[/p][p]The enemies are slightly bolder…[/p][p]The Doppelgängers have been told not to invade boss rooms (they did not take the news well)...[/p][p]And the skill tree has grown some new branches overnight.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Please see the full list below (management gets very upset if we don't include the details):
[/p][h2]Player Focus[/h2]

• [p]Adjusted the timing at which the player can begin moving after performing an attack action.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the timing at which jump, dodge, and guard can be used to cancel the recovery after an attack.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the timing at which a different attack action can be used to cancel the recovery after an attack.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted stamina consumption for several player attack actions.[/p]
• [p]Shortened the animation duration of certain player attack actions.[/p]
• [p]Updated behaviour so that the player no longer takes additional damage while in a standing damage reaction (with some exceptions for multi-hit attacks).[/p]
• [p]Slightly increased the default dodge distance.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the effect of the “\[Dodge] Distance Up” skill.[/p]
• [p]Updated the parry input so that parries now occur by entering guard precisely in sync with an enemy’s attack.[/p]
• [p]Updated parry behaviour so that enemies now drop HP Recovery Orbs upon a successful parry.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the values of several parry-related skills to match the updated system.[/p]
• [p]Updated guard behaviour so that stamina is now consumed when guard is input (in line with the parry system change).[/p]
• [p]Adjusted values for the Blood Splatter Boost effect.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted values for Door Boost effects.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted AP attack power for the Flamethrower ranged weapon category.[/p]
• [p]Added a new skill, “Enhancement Luck+”, to the skill tree.[/p]
• [p]Added multiple new parry-related skills to the skill tree.[/p]
• [p]Updated parts of the skill tree layout and unlock progression.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the material requirements for unlocking certain skills.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Enemies and Stages[/h2]

• [p]Updated the system so that Phantom Lost no longer occurs on Normal difficulty or lower.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the initial battle HP durability for Jacob, Nigel, and Eve.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted attack range and attack duration for certain enemies.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted HP for several enemy types.[/p]
• [p]Increased the reaction duration when enemies are successfully parried.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted terrain and camera distance for Stage 03–304A.[/p]
• [p]Updated door placement in the Final stage.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Invasion Mode[/h2]

• [p]Adjusted applied parameters in Invasion Multiplayer battles to reduce excessive influence from each player’s progression stage and improve combat balance.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted parry reactions between players.[/p]
• [p]Updated the system so that Doppelgängers cannot invade during boss battles.[/p]
• [p]Added new UI effects during matchmaking with a Doppelgänger.[/p]
• [p]Updated behaviour so that Doppelgängers no longer interfere with other enemies.[/p]
• [p]Updated behaviour so that Doppelgängers cannot interact with environmental gimmicks.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted several UI elements used during Invasion Multiplayer.[/p]

[p][/p][p]From Osaka to wherever you are in the world![/p][p]- White Owls Inc.[/p]

[p]Dear guests,[/p][p]We would like to advise that the swimming pool does not have a biomechanically engineered shark residing in its depths, and it is in fact safe to swim.[/p][p][/p][h3]Adjustments[/h3]

• [p]Adjusted the size of the boats placed on the water surface in the Prologue stage and Stage 01.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the sinking speed of certain objects that submerge when the player stands on them.[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue in the Journal where some UI elements were not displayed correctly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where switching languages while a mob NPC’s dialogue was displayed could cause performance drops.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue in Invasion Multiplayer where the player might stop falling after performing an Armor Break in mid-air.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where falling into a pit while performing a Hold Attack on a sinking platform could cause the player to respawn on the sunken platform.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player temporarily could not perform a water-surface jump after respawning from a pitfall.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player might temporarily be unable to dodge after respawning from a pitfall.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue during the fight with Jacob where frontal melee attacks could temporarily fail to hit him.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where stamina could continue to decrease when taking damage while guarding, even though the Special Request “Guard Disabled” was active.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the controller vibration setting would revert to enabled after restarting the game, even if Controller Vibration was turned off in the options.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue in the Journal where some UI elements were not displayed correctly.[/p]

[p][/p][p]From Osaka to wherever you are in the world![/p][p]- White Owls Inc.[/p]

[p]Welcome back, guests.[/p][p]We’re currently experiencing structural… updates. Nothing to worry about. Most affected areas have been cleaned, the killer tomatoes have been re-crated, and four bugs pests were safely removed from your room.[/p][p]If you require further information, please contact reception.[/p][p][/p][h3]Adjustments[/h3]

• [p]Added a guide UI on the World Map to help players start Multiplayer.[/p]
• [p]Updated the ranged weapon reward from Special Requests to a unique version that does not overlap with weapons sold in the shop. [/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the refund description shown when canceling Multiplayer and returning to Single Play was incorrect.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where disconnecting during Invasion Multiplayer could prevent the game from properly transitioning to the results screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Slasher Phantom’s ranged attacks did not properly grant Blood Splatter when hitting enemies.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various issues related to text display and localization.[/p]

[p][/p][p]From Osaka to wherever you are in the world![/p][p]- White Owls Inc.[/p]

[p]Hello everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]A quick update following our previous message.[/p][p][/p][p]We said we would take action on the AI-related elements in the VHS tapes, and that work is now complete.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Further to today's patch notes:[/p]

• [p]The 'Red Tree Entertainment' logo has been reimagined by our in-house artist, Nanna.[/p]
• [p]Voice-overs have been re-recorded, edited (thanks Randy!) and developed in collaboration with White Owls Inc.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]The store page remains updated with clear disclosure, and we will continue to maintain those standards going forward.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you again to everyone who raised it constructively and gave us the opportunity to fix it. We’ll keep you posted on the upcoming performance and QOL improvements as soon as they’re ready. There may be one or two incoming, but you didn't hear it from us.[/p][p][/p][p]Until then, stay slay,[/p][p]CULT Games[/p]