The first day of Anime NYC was busy and jam-packed with a lot of people attending the event, causing the air to feel like it’s a pure festival of fun. This festival-like atmosphere is extended to the staff at various booths, with lots of friendly faces and a lot of friendly banter being tossed left and right. People were just happy to attend the event this Thursday, as people woke up early just to be there, and that by itself cannot be underestimated, as some people were still there still; they had to close the venue for tomorrow. This energy will most likely continue into Friday with anticipated fervor, as more people will be attending as it will be the weekend. As the convention continues, this festival-like atmosphere will be felt even till Sunday, as the excitement will reach a fever pitch on Saturday. On the last day people will be wanting more and will be excited to attend next year in anticipation.
Kaiju No. 8 showcases their mobile app game at the event, and it will be a turn-based narrative gacha-driven game that is striving to live up to the AAA mobile market that is dominated by games developed by Hoyoverse. However, the short gameplay provided at the event still showcases that the developers still thought about the game’s base mechanics. As with any gacha game, players can obtain 5-star characters (the highest rarity character), but lower rarity characters will need to fill in niche roles necessary for endgame content. So, I hope that the developers take time to think about how to balance the character out. Other than some possible future sight, the game itself looks nice and looks like it plans to stay faithful to the source material. However, after watching the anime, there might be a concern with a lack of characters, but this can be remedied with collaborations, but there need to be additional side stories to make the game have presence. Also, fans will be happy with the audio effects and the work of the voice actors, as it perfectly captures those hype moments in the anime.
Brown Dust II celebrated with a rather large booth at the event with three cosplayers to showcase a strong first step at Anime NYC. As for the game itself, it is another anime gacha game that focuses on turn-based action with an artistic focus on drawing with a lot of contrast to make certain parts shine and darken. Other than that, the booth itself reflects its more summertime focus, perfect for the summer as people are still going to be hitting the beach. This summertime atmosphere perfectly fits the festive feeling flooding the event with people eating, having a good time with loved ones, and an almost prevalent smell of various rich foods from roasted nuts to popcorn. As for the game itself, it tries to innovate the gacha turn-based system by implementing various gameplay elements that highlight a focus on player affinities and positioning based upon a grid-like pattern. Players will need to make sure they have proper typing advantages and coverage when dealing with enemies to have a higher rated chance of victory. As for positioning, not too many games even nowadays focus on such an aspect, especially in turn-based gacha games. This focus on positioning separates it from the rest of the gacha games nowadays, making the game a unique standout amongst gacha games.
One-Punch Man had a booth to celebrate the new season of the anime with a punching machine and even presented a statue to congoers. The last time the One-Punch Man punching machine showed up was quite some time ago, and it became a hot attraction to attend, with various people showing up to attend. Moreover, this attraction is a gift for fans of the anime, as they have been waiting for this season to cover the rest of the monster association arc in the manga. Also, the booth across from One-Punch Man was focused on the hit card game One Piece, with a learning event to help players learn a new card game. As for the learning event, it is free for signups, and the instructions and how to play were easy to understand and play. Furthermore, to dive a little bit deeper into the learning event, the instructions were clearly stated, allowing for information to be grasped easily. From a personal standpoint as a long-term Yu-Gi-Oh!, Vanguard, and recent Gundam trading card game player, it was a breath of fresh air, and I can see why the game has gained so much popularity aside from the manga it came from.
With a wrap-up of the first day, it is to be expected the following days are going to be filled with just as much excitement. The weekend is going to be showcasing various panels, events, and even some concerts after the convention for those who want to keep that festive energy going. Moreover, it is important for congoers to take breaks every now and then, especially cosplayers whose feet might be sore after the day. So, make sure to take breaks and stay hydrated at the convention to fully enjoy Anime NYC to its fullest.
For more information, visit https://animenyc.com/
Related: Reviews by Kyle Manila
I would describe myself when interacting with games as a strategist with a pension for stealth and loud explosions.
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