The Spectrum Retreat was winning awards before ever releasing to the general public. Creator Dan Smith won the BAFTA Young Game Designers Award in 2016 for his prototype of the game, and from there it has become a full-fledged multi-level puzzle game coming to consoles this summer. Published by Ripstone Games, The Spectrum Retreat takes players through a deceptively tricky hotel where nothing is as it seems.
Gameplay in TSR is reminiscent of Portal or QUBE, as shown in Smith’s E3 demo. Players start out in a bedroom of a strange hotel, furnished in art-deco style and deserted except for its faceless workers. The workers don’t offer any explanation for your presence, and won’t let you leave. From there, players find their way through the hotel with the ultimate goal of passing through every floor and reaching the roof. Along the way, increasingly taxing color-based puzzles attempt to hinder players’ progress—and the more puzzles you solve, the further you dive into the hotel.