At the end of the summer of 1997, my then-girlfriend and I decided to take a trip together to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. While the former was our main destination, we did spend a night in the latter at what I think was the Union Club of British Columbia, a former men’s club that was converted into a small hotel. I remember thinking that, with its sparse clientele and carpeting, we were reminded of the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. I said as much to the front desk man, who didn’t take it as the compliment I meant it to be.
As I played through the first two chapters of Helios Hotel: The Night Shift on my Steam Deck, those memories came flooding back in the best way possible.
Here’s log line:
Helios Hotel: The Night Shift is a foreboding first-person, choose-your-own-adventure-style horror game inspired by paranormal and slasher films such as Halloween, The Shining, and Friday the 13th. Broken down into several easily digestible chapters, the game drops players into the role of main protagonist, Rose, who is expected to undertake all the usual front desk duties.
Keen to make a great impression with her boss, Rose quickly begins to make her way through a series of mundane tasks, which slowly evolve into a series of events that, at best, feel a little ‘off’, but soon develop into something far more sinister…
Features
- Creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere
- Exploration in first-person plants you firmly in the thick of the action
- Jump scares and unnerving audio cues when you least expect them
- Oddball cast of guests and employees leaves you unsure of their motivations
- Simple tasks designed to both engage and alarm the player
- Unlock achievements for performing certain actions
- Player choices affect the character dialogue and what they will experience
- The choices the player makes throughout the game’s chapters will affect the ending
- Four endings based on the choices made throughout the game
- Gamepad/controller support as well as Keyboard + Mouse support
- Basic graphics setting option that allows the game to run on lower-end hardware
- Fully playable on Steam Deck
Created by Rose Lane Games, Helios Hotel: The Night Shift is an instantly engaging game, a mix of classic horror and quirkiness that kept me engaged. Setting the game up as chapters was a smart idea; as you complete your tasks and explorations, you have some intense gratification making it through the night and the chapter itself.
Aesthetically, the simple colours of the hotel definitely give off a Shining vibe, even if the carpet isn’t the quintessential pattern the Overlook Hotel was known. Unlike the Overlook, the Helios also has actual clients your character of Rose interacts with, and again, it’s fun and engaging.
The current experience of Helios Hotel: The Night Shift is short, but in the time it takes to complete the first two chapters, you’re left wanting to check in for a longer stay.
Helios Hotel: The Night Shift is out now on PC via Steam for a suggested retail price of $3/ £3/ €3.