You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave
A downloadable game
You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave is a game for 3+ people, and a surreal horror-flavored hack of Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands by Meguey & Vincent Baker. It is also a loving homage to The Shining, NanQuest, and the songs of the 70s and 80s that I grew up listening to.
Play as a Guest, Staff member, or living Anomaly at the Hotel California, the first and only hotel to exist outside of time and space! Create messy entanglements — ally with monsters, or backstab your friends! Inject the surreal and horrific into everyday life! Solve mysteries! Have strange dreams! Chase someone with a knife! Burn it all to the ground!
For additional minigames to play in the Hotel, check out the Such A Lovely Place expansion pack!
Additional questions about your stay at the Hotel California may be addressed to their official website.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $7 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copies
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copies
For each copy of YCCOATYL sold, I'll add a free community copy for those who may not be able to afford the game at its listed price. If you're one such person, you are more than welcome to claim one of these copies.
If you have taken a community copy, please consider - but do not feel obligated to - leaving the game a positive rating, review, or comment/social media shout-out to increase its visibility!
Development log
- QOL Updates!Mar 23, 2022
- New Minigame + Other Updates!Feb 23, 2020
- Time After Time Updates!Feb 04, 2020
- Feedback FormJan 27, 2020
Comments
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On the occasion of the publication of a supplement to You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, I took the opportunity to re-read the basic game that closely matches my fantasy of playing in a hotel. A Firebrands hack, the game is structured in a series of mini-games to be played alone or with others, in a resolutely strange setting, like Shining with cryptids, and with players embodying guests as well as hotel employees or strangers from elsewhere. The tone of the game is done in small touches and if I regret a bit that several games are a bit too generic, all of them still participate to build a unique atmosphere. Really a nice game, maybe too much focused on creepy fantasy for my taste, as it would be a shame to reduce the "games in a hotel" sub-genre to that (even if it is sometimes very tempting).
https://www.gulix.fr/blog/2021/04/09/des-tours/
This game clicks so well with its strange tone and the game offered. And the playlist is already done!
One of the Firebrands game I most want to play.
This game is really astonishingly good. I made a Hotel California-inspired game several years back for a local zine, and so was excited to check out this one. Honestly, I'm super impressed with how creatively and sensitively you hacked Firebrands to achieve this vibe. Now I just have to find a few people to play it with.
I love the atmosphere and the writing of this game so much. The only "bad" thing I can say is, I wish I'd been able to play more of the mini-games... so I guess I'll just have to play it again!
So nice I accidentally bought it twice! And I gotta say... it's well worth each time. I got it once cause it was a Record Collection entry and another time in my Firebrands research. This is one of the most effective and evocative Firebrands games I've read, the selection of games and how each one creates atmosphere, furthers creepiness, and just generally causes unease is astounding. Perfectly captures The Shining in an RPG, something I would've thought incredibly difficult to do.
Oh gosh, thank you so much! I was wondering if the double buy was an itch fluke, haha. I can totally refund the second one for you if you like!
appreciate the offer but no need! It is very good!