Hotel Sowls

What a game!

Okay, so.
The aesthetics of this game? Immaculate. I loved them from start to finish.
But the actual gameplay is a bit obtuse.
My time spent with this game was not a waste but the experience really needs some improvements.

I found it hard to know what could be used/picked up and what things could be used on.
I think the game would have benefited from items/interact-able areas having an outline so that if there was, say, an onon near an onon patch but you clicked the patch thinking you had clicked the onon you maybe wouldn't have walked away not knowing the onon was separate from the patch. They did a sparkle graphic for the diary pages which I think would have been too much for EVERY interactable but... I also never missed any of them.
It would have been good to also let you know when you've altered or combined two objects that a new one had been moved to your inventory. It might seem silly hearing that complaint out of context but it was not intuitive during gameplay.

This game would have benefited from some dialogue editing from a native English speaker as I think some of the nuance was lost in translation (which isn't to say that the characters weren't still endearing) but it may have been part of why I find the progression a bit. random?

TLDR; a very cute game with an incredible aesthetic and endearing cast of characters but the story is a bit disjointed and hard to follow in parts. The made the puzzles (which are not especially difficult once you have all the information) difficult to solve. The aesthetic, though unique and beautiful, impeded gameplay.

You should WATCH someone play this game.

A small cartoonlike point and click game with a story that is somewhat dark in spots but overall feels more like magic realism than horror. there is a lot of silly comedy and odd dialogues, which makes it fun to wander around in the environment and interact with things.

There are several endings, one of which can only be reached after getting another one. To finish the game and the differnt endings you'll probably need a walkthrough. There is nothing really hard to figure out except near the end, where you have to combine things in a certain order.

Lots of extra achievements for doing various extra things. The endings themselves don't have achievements, nor do many of the main story points. I had trouble getting a few of them and didn't quite 100%.

It's playful and not that serious. Great when you want a small game with some mysteries and humor in a cartoon setting.

I gave this a shot at the ~$0.79 sale price w/ soundtrack, getting a slight Off (Mortis Ghost game, not on Steam) or Yume Nikki vibe from it. Simple artwork doesn't mean a game can't creep you out, kick you square in the feels, or have a bloody amazing soundtrack.

In the end, I didn't finish the game with enough interest in the characters or story to warrant playing through it again. I'd prefer a middling review here, but that's not an option.

However, let's get a few misconceptions out of the way:

1. This is not a horror game. It's more of a point-and-click with light creepiness. No combat. No jumpscares.

2. The game isn't really timed. You have five days - morning and evening - which typically only progress after you perform a mandatory critical action. You're free to roam around as much as you want otherwise.

3. You can rebind movement keys. There is no forced WASD.

4. You can play full screen.

5. The game isn't chock full of Engrish. I fully understood 99% of the text, and a few of the quirky lines may be related to intentional butchering of the language (e.g., Sowls = Souls).

The Good

+Save anywhere
+Story had some novelty
+Got a few chuckles out of some conversations
+Ways to get back critical items you accidentally used
+Achievement hunters will stay busy for a while
+Didn't run into any bugs

YMMV

~Low-res art style and mostly chiptune music (soundtrack is just "ok")
~2-4 hours of play for first run
~Requires multiple playthroughs and a guide to see everything
~Only one save slot and autosaves at time changes, so little save-scumming
~No Steam cards
~Object highlight would have been nice to avoid pixel hunting
~So many red herring environmental objects
~Item use feedback is lacking
~Easy to accidentally click yourself through objects
~The big puzzle is complicated by some light moon-logic/red herrings. I lost an hour or so on this before giving up and reading a guide - I knew what I had to do for one item, but couldn't find the right place and combination to do it, especially after some of the aforementioned mis-clicking throwing me off...frustrating.

The Bad

-No character development, so little attachment to anyone, or incentive to play again for other endings

Played on:
i7-12700, RTX3060, 16GB DDR4-3200 @ 1920x1080
using KB&M

A weird little point&click adventure game about a strange hotel and its even stranger staff.
It has a number of different endings and loads of silly Steam Achievements unrelated to the main plot.

Pros
- Very unique visuals, probably not to every-ones taste but I liked it.
- Pleasant enough soundtrack
- Controls and UI were solid enough but I don't understand why there is no mouse click to move.
- Game-play was simple enough but engaging, I'd say its a very light point and click adventure.
- You can freely explore the hotel.
- Story was interesting
- Various endings if that's your thing.

Cons
- Can't be played entirely with the mouse, i.e. you have to use WASD to move.
- Very Short (although there is various endings so I might be a bit harsh ) but regardless its good value for money.
- vSync has to be re-applied each session.

It's alright. The controls are clumsy, and the puzzles aren't that great, but it has some charm. It didn't leave any big impact on me, though, and the story felt somewhat hamfisted (Left over notes at all places, magical wonder vaccine made from an alchemist's workbench, stuff like that ...).

Honestly one of the most unique and charming games I've had the pleasure of playing. I found this game through a playthrough video and I'm so glad I picked it up for myself. The game mechanics are very easy to pick up and the visuals are super pleasant all throughout the experience. I couldn't recommend this enough to anybody who is thinking about buying this game. Even though it may be short there are many fun secrets and achievements to find along the way.

Very cute game ^-^
The reason i bought this game is the graphic and the cute art style. I really liked getting all the endings and achievements. The game was short and fun!

10/10

Had a great time playing this game! You achieved a really particular mood, very unique mix of cuteness and thrilling moments. Some puzzles are bit hard to solve without a walkthrough but I strongly recommend anyway!

Atmospheric game with doodle-like art style that makes the perfect background. I found the game's story very interesting and replayed the game 4 times to acquire all achievement. This is one of my favourite indie games that i played and definitely recommend to anyone ti dive into the story that unravels in the hotel.

spooky and cute cosmic horror, wonderful visuals and charming characters with clever, and tricky puzzles. I didn't seek out all of the endings but i was more than pleased with my playthrough and uncovering the mystery of hotel sowls... play it if you like mystery-adventure games!

A charming little game that is very interesting! My first play through took about 4 hours including exploring the hotel extensively, talking to all the NPCs, and goofing around.
While I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, if you are looking for a slightly odd point-and-click adventure with a nice soundtrack I would suggest you pick it up!

Sometimes you come across a game that is so strange, so unique , that it's hard to put into words what makes it so wonderful. Hotel Sowls was exactly that for me. Perfection all the way through, from its incredibly distinctive visual design to its silly, yet chilling soundtrack, this game is like an amalgam of some of my favorite weird games: Kids + Off + Undertale + Anodyne . This game is best played blind (i.e. no guides, walkthroughs, etc.) -- let yourself be lost in its peculiar world alongside its various odd, yet delightfully charming, characters. I can't recommend this game enough, it immediately drew me in and quickly became one of my all time favorites.

this game is super fun, has amazing artwork and a chilling mystery with multiple endings. If you're someone who doesn't have a lot of time to play video games but you're still a perfectionist then I'd 100% reccomend this game to you- each playthrough has a lot to unpack and you can do tons of different stuff so the game never really gets stale. The plot is both whimsical and horrifying and there's more to unpack with each ending.

The only thing that I wouldn't reccomend thiis game is if you don't like plot-heavy games this isn't worth your time, as the gameplay basically is walking and clicking stuff (unlike daganropa which has class trials with minigames/gameplay this game doesn't have that).

P.S. I highly reccomend a wristrest lol

Check in to this hotel and become embroiled in a very unique point and click mystery adventure game where you find out what's really important in life... and in the afterlife.
Besides wonderful music throughout the game, there were multiple endings where choices mattered and very fun achievements. I totally enjoyed playing it and highly recommend.

Fun little game with a nice aesthetic and setting. About 2 hours of gameplay to reach the true ending, but for the price this game is offered at, its worth picking up to play through yourself

I picked this game up because of Northernlion's Let's Look At, and I'm glad I did. It's a cute game about a human (who happens to look like a ghost) staying five nights at a hotel after finding a mysterious stone that's going to bring our MC a fortune. The game gives me some Undertale vibes in terms of the music and humor in it. If you're into talking to NPCs and exploring a set map, this is a fun game. There's no combat to speak of, aside from some surly hotel staff being mad at you from time to time. There's also some replayability built into the game as indicated by the numerous achievements and the massive amount of inventory space; I finished my first playthrough with half my spaces open.

My biggest issue with the game is the sequence breaking. Naturally, the game's been out for at least one day, so there are already walk-throughs, but even still you don't necessarily need to do certain steps in order. The game has a day/night cycle, so once you do enough tasks in Day X, it'll go to Night X, and send you to your room once you've done the evening's content. Still, there are certain things that you're "supposed" to do/decode that you don't necessarily have to to progress the game; I figured out the clue to get an item after already having the item in my inventory, but the MC still got excited about going to a location to get the item. Still, this is a relatively small complaint since it really only applied to one thing. Also, there was one jump scare and I'm a weenie, so I'm complaining about that too.

It’s a game of mystery, unique, and subtle! A little melancholy and mysterious, waiting for simple manipulation and challenges designed to make things easier. The heterogeneous graphics that match the dreamy music that flows out give a strange yet indulgent feeling.If you like reversed stories, personality characters, or you like to look around every corner, I recommend this game!

I loved this game so much. The writing, art direction, and overall feel is just amazing. I love point and click games, and this one did not dissapoint. I personally think its worth more than the requested price, and I really hope this studio makes more games. I really can't say anything bad about it, I can't wait to play it more and unlock more endings. Thank you Studio Sott!!
There are currently no walkthroughs for this game, and I want it to stay that way. Don't give up!!

very cute little game that deserves much more attention and love.
♥ doodle art
♥ relaxing, adorable ost
♥ dialogues will make you smile
♥ silly achievements
♥ simple but captivating story

game costs literally nothing, go buy it