Propagation: Paradise Hotel
- May 4, 2023
- WanadevStudio
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Propagation: Paradise Hotel" is a single-player VR survival horror game, where you play as Emily Diaz, searching for your sister in a hotel overrun by savage creatures. The game features immersive storytelling, taking you through different phases of stealth, exploration, and action. With its horror atmosphere, resource management, puzzle-solving, and inventory tools, the game offers a truly immersive and frightening experience.
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
PlayStation
PlayStation VR2
Reviews
- The game captures a classic horror atmosphere reminiscent of early Resident Evil titles, with great graphics and sound design that enhance the immersive experience.
- Gameplay mechanics are solid, with intuitive controls for item management and combat, making it engaging and tense.
- The game features effective resource management, requiring players to carefully consider their use of ammo and health items, which adds to the survival horror experience.
- The game is relatively short, with many players completing it in around 3-4 hours, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction regarding its length and value.
- The ending is abrupt and leaves players on a cliffhanger, which can be frustrating and feels incomplete.
- Some players experienced issues with enemy mechanics, such as zombies reanimating after being shot, which detracts from the tension and immersion.
- story84 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple and short, often leaving players wanting more due to its abrupt ending and cliffhanger. While the atmosphere and environmental storytelling are praised, many reviewers feel that the narrative lacks depth and resolution, making it feel incomplete. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the engaging gameplay and express hope for future installments to continue the story.
“Great storytelling and impressive gameplay.”
“I cannot wait for this story to continue in the future.”
“It’s a short 3-4 hour experience, but it’s oozing with detail, high intensity gameplay, and a great story.”
“The story's premise and setup is weak and not compelling.”
“The story is basic for a around two hour game.”
“Doesn't have an actual ending nor resolution to the plot or goals of the main character, just a cliffhanger.”
- gameplay79 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Propagation: Paradise Hotel" is generally praised for its solid mechanics, smooth controls, and immersive atmosphere, effectively blending horror elements with engaging puzzles and combat. While the game offers a satisfying experience with intense encounters and resource management reminiscent of classic survival horror titles, some players note issues with balance, short playtime, and certain mechanics that detract from immersion. Overall, it is considered a well-crafted VR horror experience, though some aspects may feel unpolished or incomplete.
“Solid mechanics and interaction: controls are smooth, item management is intuitive, and combat feels satisfying.”
“Gameplay is great; zombies are aggressive and terrifying, with numerous enemy types to fight, spooky atmosphere, nice scares, satisfying exploration, with good set-pieces and pacing.”
“The atmosphere of fear is extremely present and the game mechanics are well done.”
“However, some models and environments look better than others (hair looks especially bad), the guns angle ever so slightly upwards making aiming a little cumbersome, only two weapons, horrible voice acting, and for 20 bucks you get less than 4 hours of gameplay.”
“The regenerate mechanic is horrible.”
“It's a terrible game mechanic; it makes it so annoying and predictable to see the same shuffling corpses you already killed magically come back to life.”
- atmosphere68 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and terrifying qualities, effectively capturing the essence of classic survival horror. Players highlight the combination of sound design, lighting, and environmental details that create a tense and spooky experience, reminiscent of early *Resident Evil* titles. While some critiques mention predictable jump scares, the overall consensus is that the game's atmosphere significantly enhances the horror experience, keeping players on edge throughout their playthrough.
“Great game, atmosphere is good with the rain and the darkness of the hotel.”
“The atmosphere really lands and it pulls you in.”
“While the setting and atmosphere are well-crafted, the story itself may leave some players wanting more.”
“The oppressive atmosphere that the developers created constantly leaves you on edge the whole playthrough, and the enemies are so unsettling and rather difficult to deal with during the early parts of the game which further amplifies said atmosphere.”
“This game had a good strong start with the horror and atmosphere, but it was sadly short-lived and I beat it in 2 hours and the ending was pretty disappointing.”
- graphics43 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting their high quality, realism, and immersive atmosphere. Players noted that the visuals are on par with AAA titles, showcasing sharp textures and detailed environments, particularly in VR. While some minor graphical inconsistencies were mentioned, the overall presentation is considered one of the best in VR gaming today, enhancing the horror experience significantly.
“Also respect to the devs as this is one of the few multiplatform games where you can't really tell if they had to compromise visuals for the Quest; it looks very good in PC VR with super-sharp textures and glistening gory detail on zombies and other monsters.”
“Ladies and gents, this game has some of the most realistic graphics I have ever seen to date in a VR title.”
“The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is immersive.”
“The opening tutorial/scene sound and graphics just don't present well.”
“Needs a graphic and gore warning upon starting the game.”
“Very graphic and gory.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are highly praised for creating an immersive and unsettling atmosphere, effectively enhancing the overall experience with well-timed cues that heighten tension and fear. While some users noted that voice acting could be improved, the soundtrack and sound effects are considered excellent, contributing significantly to the game's creepy vibes and dynamic storytelling. Overall, the developers are commended for their ability to set the mood through both music and sound design.
“Excellent sound design: the soundtrack and sound effects create an immersive and unsettling experience.”
“The atmosphere, music, sound design, gun-play, and enemies were well done.”
“The voice acting is basic; the music and sound effects could be better. However, I'm using back headphones jacked into the headset of a Quest 2, so I'm not experiencing HD audio or 7.1.”
“The atmosphere, music, sound design, gunplay, and enemies were well done.”
“The developers have done a fantastic job of setting the mood through dynamic lighting and music to create a setting where you genuinely feel fear.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is praised, particularly for high-end systems like the 3090, where it runs smoothly with minimal stuttering. Users report excellent performance even at high resolutions, with native drivers enhancing the experience, though some mention the need for further coding efforts to improve static points and objectives.
“Performance is excellent even at extremely high resolutions, and there's no need yet to turn on parallel projections for wide FOV HMDs.”
“Performance: 10/10 (note I'm using a beast of a PC with a 3090).”
“Good graphics and good optimization, achieving 2-3ms on a 3090.”
“Lots of effort is needed coding static points and obvious performance optimizations, let alone making objectives more obvious than a cup.”
“I'm having some slight stuttering, but that's down to my rig and drivers. Other than that, it runs smooth and pretty responsive.”
- stability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, while the game exhibits some bugs, players find it visually impressive and well-performing, with effective sound design. Many users are willing to overlook minor stability issues due to the overall quality of the experience compared to other VR titles released this year.
“It looks great, runs great, and has great sound design.”
“Looks and runs great, the gun has a good tactile feel and is genuinely scary, even if it relies heavily on jump scares.”
“Still a bit buggy.”
“There are other things to nitpick, but after playing so many buggy, disappointing VR games this year, these I can easily overlook.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with an engaging middle section that encourages exploration, but ultimately leading to repetitive and tedious boss fights that diminish the value of prior exploration. The overall sentiment suggests that the game falls into familiar and monotonous patterns, making the grinding feel unnecessary and uninspired.
“Boring meandering intro, pretty good middle section that rewards exploration and gets you into the groove, followed by back to back to back boss fights that are either tedious or boring (never too hard) where the game loads you up on so many supplies beforehand that none of the previous exploration matters.”
“Gets a bit tedious after a while.”
“Instead we have yet another reiteration of a tedious go here, take this there game that's already been done a dozen times.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for quality games that offer replayability, noting that while the game provides some opportunities for replay, the overall potential is limited.
“The game did leave some room for replayability, so I still have a bit to get out of it.”
“All I want is quality games that have some replayability.”
“The game did leave some room for replayability, so I still have a bit to get out of it, but not much.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a significant weakness in the emotional aspect of the game, primarily due to subpar voice acting that detracts from character engagement. Players feel that the lack of emotional delivery from the main character, Emily, and other NPCs undermines the overall experience, making it difficult to connect with the story.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its clever integration into the gameplay, providing a lighthearted twist that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the witty dialogue and amusing scenarios that keep the tone fun and engaging throughout. Overall, the humor effectively complements the game's mechanics, making it a standout feature.
“The humor in this game is absolutely delightful, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game incorporates humor into its gameplay mechanics, making even the toughest challenges feel lighthearted.”
“The witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions add a unique charm that makes the experience unforgettable.”
