Anime NYC Pics and Impressions

Anime NYC Day 1 so far has been a fun event overall, especially in regards to everything anime related. Most of the highlights of the event so far was from the Hololive booth that really got a crowd going and there was an actual concert going on over there. Furthermore, the influence Hololive has made on the event cannot be underestimated as they had made some appearances in the card game Weiss Schwarz as special cards that a lot of fans took pictures of.

As for the games there, a Blue Exorcist game was unexpected and for a rough demo the game overall felt good, as it is still being tested. This event will allow the developer of the game to gain some player feedback from the event especially from such a large sample size, as the booth will be there for the entire convention. Moreover, there are a bunch of indie game developers in some of the side panels in the Javits Center that have shown to be really fun games in the making.

Ghost Eater is one of the new indie titles that really stood out at the event during day 1 of Anime NYC. As for the gameplay, Ghost Eater is a hack and slash action rpg that has some mechanics that Devil May Cry has standardized for the genre. Another key note about the combat, precision is a key part in dodging enemy attacks to go for some no hit runs alongside rougelite mechanics to add some variation to the gameplay.

CBO TD is a tower defense game that really takes on the tower defense genre in a new light by making the player to have the ability to change the enemy route by placing defensive structures. These defensive structures can become specialized, as at the start the player has to choose from a set of attributes that focus on certain elements. This forces the player to master their specialty and adapt to making the enemy take longer routes to ensure that the enemy hits 0hp. As for what game this is similar to is Arknights alternate mission called, “Tales Within The Sands” that allow the player to choose how the enemy is supposed to move on the battlefield by contracting defenses.

SNIPERPUNK is a rougelite that focuses on player versus player combat from a top-down perspective that really highlights the overall impact of the player’s skill. This game requires will have a high skill ceiling that will force players to adapt to their surroundings by: changing their positions, what items to equip, and weapons. Moreover, these gameplay mechanics spawned from the high skill ceiling allowing for a higher degree of player freedom and experimentation.

Astronaut Assault is a survival tower defense shooter that rely on the player to have proper positioning and spacing when they are being rushed down by enemies and focus on surviving. When discussing the gameplay with the developer, the game Dungeon Defenders was brought up and one mission that was present in that game can be felt echoed a little bit in regards to the survival aspect and split-second decision making of what kind of defense should be chosen.

Shootlanzer by Munity is a love letter to games like Gradius and that is felt all throughout the game as it truly feels like a loving recreation of the game while having a personality all on its own that separates them from it. As for the gameplay the game is akin to Gradius and the fine-tuned controls for the demo provided can be finer tuned for more precise movements, overall, the game is simply fantastic as a love letter. This ensures that the game has a solid player base as the genre has been a long-standing component of the video game industry.

Hyperlight Breaker by Heart Machine is an action rpg with a mixture of rougelite status with a procedural generated dungeons for the player to explore. As for the gameplay demo provided at the event has shown to be very interactive especially movement and combat that allow the player to have a greater degree of freedom in how the player wants to engage.

Captain Corgi is a narrative puzzle adventure game that really feels like it’s a good entry point for those who want to get into gaming as a hobby. However, for those who consider themselves hardcore can still get some enjoyment from the game from speedruns or playing the game with a younger family member. This makes the game more oriented towards relaxation similar to the next title that will be coming up.

Unwound is a platformer that really looks fun to play and it looks like it will be a laidback game perfect for de-stressing from the monotony of life. This game alongside Captain Corgi can be explained as relaxation games which are a must for any gamer to play when they just need to just relax.

Ouros, by Michael Kamm is a puzzle game that focuses on the more meditative aspects of gaming as the player is not constantly bombarded by fast moving action or stellar narratives. The main strength of this game is the fact that it allows players to take some time out of their day and spend some time focusing on themselves.

Dirty Work was a blast playing and being the first one to beat the demo really makes the game feel a lot more memorable. Aside from that, the game is a dungeon crawler with some similarities to games like, The Binding of Issac, Enter The Gungeon, etc. due to the gameplay formula they share. Yet, there is one major thing that really sets them apart and that is due to the story being crucial aspect for the game itself.