It’s a simple concept, but over the course of its five-hour runtime, The Spectrum Retreat wrings plenty of mileage out of the idea. Within these challenge rooms, you can absorb colours from blocks, allowing you to pass through barriers of that colour. These authentication challenges make up the meat of The Spectrum Retreat’s puzzle gameplay. To escape the confines of The Penrose Hotel, you must pass a series of authentication challenges to gain access to the upper floors, with an eventual goal of reaching the roof. To say more would drift into spoiler territory, but suffice to say I was gripped from start to finish. The Spectrum Retreat plays on some harrowing themes as it weaves its story, employing misdirection and playing off your expectations to keep you guessing at the truth. These can range from text logs and old letters through to full-blown hallucinatory flashbacks which relive key moments of your past. These revelations come primarily in the form of scattered memories throughout both the hotel and the puzzle rooms. Over the course of the game you’ll uncover clues about your past, discovering who you are and why you’ve been locked away in the confines of the world’s creepiest five-star hotel.

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as walking out the front door. She explains that you’re being held here against your will, but she is willing to aid your escape. Your mysterious contact quickly reveals themselves as Cooper, an employee of the company running your simulated existence within the Penrose Hotel. As you explore the hotel, you receive cryptic messages on your phone which suggest all is not as it seems. The Spectrum Retreat opens with our protagonist waking up in a pristine, art-deco styled hotel staffed entirely by creepy, but exceptionally well-mannered robots.

Available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switchįrom the mind of Dan Smith, the winner of the Young Game Designer award at the 2016 BAFTAs comes The Spectrum Retreat – a first-person puzzle game set within a simulated hotel where you’re forced to constantly relive the same day.

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