We’ve been covering Play NYC since it first launched back in 2016 here at Pixelrater. We’re humbled to be invited back each and every year, especially with this year’s partnership with Anime Expo NYC. I’ve only watched a handful of anime in my life. Hell, I can name them.

• Pokémon (if that counts)
• Sword Art Online
• Frieren
• My Hero Academia 

And, uh, that’s it. I told you alright, get off my back. Anyway, it’s no surprise that upon entering the anime portion of the expo I was lost. I saw a sea of people in cosplay and paraphernalia for this show and that and didn’t have a clue what any of them were, but damn it is they weren’t cool.

Even still, I appreciate the art and the cute cat designs. Daney met up with me and we strolled through Artist Alley where we proceeded to buy some sick prints. With that said, I mainly came to the expo for Play NYC, which means I came for the games and boy oh boy, this year did not disappoint. 

This year was exciting because not only did I reconnect with two games I loved from last year, but I also discovered new ones as well. Each dev I talked to gushed with an infectious excitement at each booth. It was a stark reminder of why I love games and this industry as a whole. Games are made to be played and experienced. Sometimes they illicit an emotional connection and other times they’re just quirky and fun but all manner of games deserve their place.

Now that Valve has sunk their Deck talons deep into me, I’m happy to report the games I’ll be discussing below are (or are said to be) compatible with the Steam Deck. So let’s get this train moving!

Trellis

You may remember this game from our 2023 coverage, but this time there have been a few big changes. The most significant is that the game is no longer coming out on mobile platforms and is instead launching on PC via Steam. I do think Trellis could work on both (as I’m sure the dev team does too) but pivoting over to PC is a good choice I think. The assets look gorgeous on a big screen compared to being confined to that of a phone or tablet. The studio also added various artistic flourishes and additional post processing effects that really add to the environments like more moody fog and more. All in all the game is making the leap to PC without a hitch (says the non developer) and I can’t wait to plant myself down (lol) and enjoy this game when it releases. You can find out more about Trellis and view the trailer here as well as wishlist it on Steam. 

Signal Creek

Funnily enough, my two favorite games from last year were a mere couple of booths apart. A grin stretched across my face when I stumbled upon Signel Creek again. The dev was incredibly excited and enthusiastic to tell me all about her baby but I turned the tables and made her smile even more when I stated this was one of my favorite games from last year. I think I even surprised her when I asked what happened to the chicken hat to which she replied they had to age the kids up a couple of years for story reasons, making the chicken hat not fit in (I turned them on to the suggestion of making it an unlockable item as I really did like it). I spent a lot of time soaking in the charm and witty writing while chuckling during my time exploring the abandoned mall. Signal Creek is definitely a title I’m picking up with my own cash money to support the dev team…..like I’m going to do with every title on our list to be honest. If you’re in the market for a fun text heavy story-driven game that can be beat in an evening, wishlist this game now. You can find out more about Signal Creek and view the trailer here as well as wishlist it on Steam. 

Pure: Birth of the Goddess

Pure: Birth of the Goddess feels like an old school party based RPG from the PlayStation era. The combat, however, plays more akin to the action RPG Tales series rather than being turn based. That is to say, once you come into contact with enemies in the field, a battle ensues that has you actively battle in an elcosed area-like space. I was honestly a bit surprised that an indie title of this caliber has little animated cutscenes when doors open or after successfully completing puzzles. That’s something I usually don’t see in games of this scale. Combat felt good and environments looked reminiscent of the era the team is shooting for. One thing I’d like to see added is a health bar above enemies to go along with the damange numbers that pop up above them while battling. You can find out more about the game and view the trailer here. 

Ghost Eater

This game immediately caught my attention from afar with its bold contrast of black and white imagery. The thick black lines against white instantly reminded me of a game back in the Wii days called Mad World. One glance at the game in action will likely instantly draw comparisons to the NieR series like it did for Daney and myself. The gameplay felt like NieR, albeit a tad slower and floatier. In the demo I played I was stuck in a train and had to hack a system in order to unlock the doors. Hacking involves defeating a few waves of enemies until the end. I’m not sure what else the gameplay offers past that as I didn’t see anyone at the booth, but what I played in its early state piqued my interest and earned a spot on my Steam wishlist. You can keep up with the development via X (formerly Twitter) and wishlist the game on Steam here. 

Floridale Man The Joy of Chaos

If you’re a gamer who likes silly sandbox sims like I Am Bread and Goat Simulator, than Floridale Man The Joy of Chaos is probably for you. According to the description on the game’s website, Floridale Man is a “sandbox puzzle game about embracing the mayhem latent within us all. See the sights of Floridale, meet the locals, and sow chaos with whatever tools are at your disposal. If things go off the rails in the process, well, that’s just part of the fun.” During my hands on time I ran around a beach and hit people with a barbell and lit a lot of people on fire….like a lot of people….and that was about it. To be completely honest and transparent, these types of games aren’t my jam but if they are for you, check out their website and and wishlist it on Steam here.

Creatures of War

From what I remember, Creatures of War was the only title I saw in all of Play NYC that included dinosaurs which is criminal. Seriously, what’s up with that? Anyway, I immediately drew a comparison to Dino Crisis which, for you youngsters, is an IP from Capcom back in the PlayStation days that’s essentially Resident Evil but with dinos instead of zombies. Well, at least the first entry before the second became an arcade style shoot-em-up and the third took place in space…..yeah….moving on.

So, this game definitely pays homage to the original Dino Crisis except it’s a 2D sidescrolling action platformer rather than an isometric 3D affair. Controls are tight and there are upgrades to weapons and gear as you’d expect. The environments are varied and well done. I was especially fond of an outdoor section that had me walking through a beautiful field of colorful flowers which is a great juxtaposition when set against a blood soaked world where everything is out to eat you. In Creatures of War you can’t go blasting your way through enemies and need to be both accurate and reserved with your bullets or you’ll find you’ll end up as dino kibble in no time. If you’re interested, check out the game’s site and wishlist it on Steam—it’s expected to release this October! It’s worth noting at the time of writing the trailer is outdated both in terms of the gameplay it shows as well as the assets now in use. I was told a new trailer is in the works.

Flowers & Fortitude

Flowers & Fortitude is exactly what it looks like from the image above—a simple cartoonish take on the Zelda formula. The writing is good with funny one-liners and the saturday morning cartoon art style is charming. I sliced some veggies that were out to kill me for whatever reason and flipped some switches to open some gates. Standard Zelda fare. I’m not sure if there will be dungeons on offer but you will encounter various other adventurers each with their own unique abilities. If the idea of a simple Zelda-esque adventure sounds good and chill to you, check out their website and wishlist it on Steam.

Starlight Reovlver

Do you like moba roguelites? Well then I’ve got a game for you….so long as you like bright color pallet (I do). Feast your eyes on Starlight Revolver which, taken from their description, is a “co-op action roguelite set in an anime-inspired world. Discover the stories behind the heroes of Nishi Island Metropolis as you fight with friends in rule-bent dreamworlds. Between runs, relax in our cozy social world, full of minigames, cute animals, and other surprises to uncover!” The devs told me this is definitely a game designed to be played with other people, however, there’s nothing stopping you from soloing it and having a harder time like I did. There’s not much for me to say as the game is still very early in development, but the controls were tight and pulling off combos was fun. I definitely like the bright colors and am keeping my eye on this for sure. There’s not much info out there on the game yet, but what info there is can be found here on X (formerly Twitter). If you like what you see then go ahead and sign up here to save your spot to check out the demo when it drops.

And that’s it! I want to thank Play NYC and Anime NYC again for inviting us. We look forward to next year and my wallet is excited to spend way too much money since I’ll (finally) be in my house! So many cool prints and little props! More than that, I’m looking forward to seeing how the games I connect with this year evolved and to fall for new ones all over again next year. Keep it real PlayCrafting and see ya soon!