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Parents' Guide to

Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel

By David Chapman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Hotel horror serves scares, gore as room service.

Game Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PlayStation 5 , PlayStation 4 , Windows 2022
Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel packshot

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Dee Z.
Dee Z. Parent of 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18+-year-old
July 27, 2022
age 12+
Sam M.
Sam M. Parent of 3-year-old
July 1, 2022
age 16+

Atmospheric Puzzler. Weak Horror.

Relatively lax on violence for the genre. You exclusively fight vaguely humanoid Draugr type enemies with blood splatter. But no elaborate gore. Parasite nests have red meaty fungus/membranes line their halls but its not real gore. Despite the apocalyptic scenario there are minimal signs of carnage or human remains. Stray bloodstains, a couple of lab subjects, and a severed arm is the extent of the gore. There are 2 stabbings in cutscenes but they arent graphic. F words semi-regularly. The game features gorgeous and immersive production value and some creative puzzles (alongside fluff). But it lacks the thrill/intrigue balance that makes Resident Evil click. The game just dumps puzzles upon puzzles (some of which mistake convoluted tedium with cleverness) upon the player with very sporadic and low stakes combat against dull enemies and bosses with sluggish controls and a slightly overgenerous ammo and health pool. Top that with a middling story, corny voice acting, and tepid pacing; youre much better off playing Torment Souls or Cry of Fear instead.
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

FOBIA: ST. DINFNA HOTEL is a survival horror tale in which the sins of the past and the consequences of the future come crashing at once into a terrifying present. Your story begins as an amateur journalist looking to make a name for yourself by investigating a history of strange events surrounding the infamous St. Dinfna Hotel. For years, there have been reports of people disappearing from the hotel, as well as eerie tales of supernatural encounters and otherworldly activity. Instead of simply reporting a story, you quickly become a part of it when you discover a strange camera can somehow peer into the branching timelines of the hotel, allowing you to experience events long past and those yet to come through the eyes of others lost to the hotel. Making matters worse, you find yourself hunted by creatures from the darkest corners of your nightmares. To survive, you'll not only need to uncover the secrets buried deep within the existence of the St. Dinfna Hotel, but you'll need to survive them as well.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Fear is a primal emotion, which is true whether you're a fan of getting chills up your spine or someone who cringes at the slightest bump in the night. And a lot of the fear that comes from the horror genre has to do with atmosphere, something Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel isn't lacking. From the opening prologue to the final chapter, the game manages to frequently build an overwhelming feeling of dread alongside some imagery that will serve as nightmare fuel for players. It's in these moments that Fobia is at its best. The problem is that what seems like a great horror story tends to get tripped up in both its gameplay and its identity.

Fobia is, at its core, a great horror story. Unfortunately, the delivery of that story tends to get muddled by trying to be a little bit of everything else as well. There are puzzles stacked upon puzzles that the player needs to solve to advance the plot. Many of these feel contrived and forced, like players are trapped in a string of escape rooms with tidbits of story offered as a reward before moving on. These sections of the game aren't remotely scary and kill the building sense of terror. In between these puzzle filled areas are some basic action sequences, with players shooting their way through or hiding in the shadows from the creatures, cultists, and other dark forces hunting them down. The shooting feels basic, but at least there's tension as players have to choose between fight or flight, risking being ill-equipped for what may lay in wait around the next corner. Finally, layering all of this over a strange time-hopping framework makes it all the more difficult to follow any flow to plot. None of this keeps Fobia from giving players a good scare, but the thrill doesn't linger for long.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in entertainment. Is the impact of the violence in Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel affected by the fact that this is a supernatural horror game? What are some ways that parents can address graphic depictions of violence in things like films and video games? How much would you consider to be "too much" for different age ranges?

  • Why do many people find getting scared from things like horror films and games entertaining? How does scary content affect young kids differently than mature audiences?

Game Details

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