Bite the Fly: Bites Motel (Madrid)

Masters of Suspense

A renovated motel opens in the remote town of Bite the Fly.

Book your room and enjoy a unique experience at this roadside motel.

Their shy manager is eager to welcome you.

When we initially entered the town of Bite the Fly, we had been snuck through to the Tao Massage Parlour for our massages, and it had been made quite clear at that point that the owner of the motel was a little…odd. But we were soon to find out for ourselves, as we had a booking for a night at the Bites Motel immediately following our massages. As soon as we were fully out of costume (and I’m still not entirely certain if elements of our costume were a joke or not, but we just rolled with it), we made our way to the centre of “town.”

Thanks to our sneaky little trek to Tao Massage when we arrived, we had missed out on the town proper, but as we rounded the corner and the motel came into view, I was a little speechless. The town of Bite the Fly is visually spectacular, and shining at its centre sits the Bites Motel, looking exactly like every well cared for American roadside motel, c.1960, I have ever visited. Our massage time had been booked quite close to our motel check in time, so we didn’t have long to gawk at the town as we were whisked swiftly through to reception, where Norman was waiting.

Now, if the name of the game wasn’t enough to give you a clue, then hopefully combining that with the setting and name of the motel manager should be enough to clue you in to the fact that Bites Motel is a very clear homage to Psycho. And it is exceptionally well done. Our check-in to the motel was superb, if slightly off putting, as we settled the balance for our stay. Once the formalities were out of  the way, Norman made his way our from behind the desk, and led us to the rather cosy Room 101, where we were to settle in for the night. Of course, things at the Bites Motel aren’t entirely what they seem (or perhaps they were exactly what they seem), and it wasn’t long before our stay took a rather dark turn…

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

We’ve played a fair few horror games now, and I’ve noticed with many of these games that as the game progresses, the less afraid you become. I’m sure there’s some psychological explanation for this, but I typically find this is due to the over-exuberant appearances of whomever (or in some cases, whatever) else is in there with you taking away the fear of the unknown. Bites Motel was not one of these games.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock rightfully holds the title “Master of Suspense,” and  the creators of Bites Motel have clearly studied their source material well, learning the art of suspense from the master himself. From the moment we stepped into the motel reception, to our final, adrenaline fuelled escape from the Bites Motel, the one thing that the game never lacked was atmosphere. In fact, at times it was so thick you could practically taste it. The tension throughout the game was real, and instead of jump scares galore, Bites Motel leaned into the creepy and nerve-wracking atmosphere to build the suspense.

Bites Motel is an homage to, and not necessarily a direct copy of the film on which it is based, but there is still plenty of story to uncover behind every locked door. The narrative played off the tension created by the atmosphere perfectly, creating an immersive game with an excellent pace, with a blend of frantic scuttling from room to room in the dark and feeling secure enough in the closed doors to solve puzzles without the fear of something jumping out at you.

PUZZLES

The puzzles in Bites Motel were a blend of “that makes perfect sense” in the context of the game and “okay, that’s a bit random, but I’ll go with it.” Regardless, whether they were contextual or not, the puzzles were logical and fair, with excellent sign posting and telegraphing.

Unlike many actively scary games, there was no lack of content here, with creative and challenging puzzles, as well as more physical and tactical tasks. Often the puzzles were clever, and multi-layered. The game play unfolded in a relatively linear fashion, although there were some sections with parallel puzzle paths, but many of these puzzles required participation from multiple people so no one ever felt left out of the action.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Norman was a spectacular actor, striking the balance of shy but creepy so well that Anthony Perkins would have been proud. Of course, Norman didn’t remain merely creepy for long, but all of our interactions were exceptional, and perfectly in line with the progression of the narrative and the game.

Clues came from a variety of sources, and while I wouldn’t want to give much more away, rest assured that they did not break the immersion of the game, and were always perfectly timed to avoid any frustration over something we had missed. (Not that there was much of that.)

ANYTHING ELSE

Bites Motel is a perfect homage to one of the greatest films of all time – and also a fantastic game in its own right. While it has been pushed down the TERPECA rankings in favour of newer experiences, it has consistently held a place in the Top 100 games since it opened in 2021 for a reason.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players

Address: C. del Puerto de Pozazal, 4, Vallecas, 28031 Madrid, Spain

Website: https://bitethefly.com/