It’s known as the “City That Never Sleeps”. The Big Apple. The Empire City. The Five Boroughs. New York. Home to literally almost anything an individual could ever want. It also happens to be a short train ride from my humble two-bedroom apartment.
New York City is also home to Play.NYC, which has hit a milestone of ten years of providing a venue for indie and small studio game developers to showcase their passion projects! Play.NYC is a production of Playcrafting, who host various game jam events, game showcases, and developer engagement events to expand gaming content to a variety of larger platforms.
Gamer Social Club was given the opportunity to provide press coverage for this incredibly powerful event, which was run in conjunction with AnimeNYC this year. We’ll be providing a couple of different editorial pieces around what we saw, what we experienced, and what we’re hoping to see more of.
But I know why you’re here. You’re here to see what stuck out to us! Check out our Top 5 from the 2025 Play.NYC (presented in no particular order).
Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor
- Developer & Publisher: Cybrlich Studios
- Release Date: TBA
- Platform(s): PC (Steam)
Video gaming, like any form of artistic expression, can provide social commentary on our world. Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor is no exception to that rule. This preliminary project from Cybrlich Studios places us in a world of magic…and megacorporations. A barbarian, with no other use in the world, has taken on a dead-end, soul-sucking job. We’ve all been there. We have bills and sometimes, we don’t have the luxury of choosing.
Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor is a first-person shooter in the same vein of games as DOOM and Ultrakill. The truly unique cartoon-style animation is absolute filled to the brim with violence and hordes of the Cybrlich’s minions.
We got the chance to test out the Arcade Mode of this game at Play.NYC and were treated to a fast-paced shooter…within a corporate office building. Silly? Yes. Fun? YES. The various references to corporate culture and capitalism, dripping with sarcasm, are leaving me hopeful that we see this game come to fruition in the near future.
Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor can be added to your Wishlist on Steam today and will be launching a Kickstarter campaign soon.
Of The Devil
- Developer & Publisher: nth Circle Studios
- Release Date: Episode 1 Out Now!
- Platform(s): PC (Steam)
Phoenix Wright was a series that defined the genre of visual novel meets detective stories. But what if the story was darker, grittier…and also happened to take place 60 years from today. Of The Devil is a game that is filling that niche. This flagship entry from nth Circle Studios takes the crime-solving genre and places it in a cyberpunk dystopia of the future. A world where there are cameras everywhere and various devices track our every location. So…not very different from today!
In Of The Devil, you’ll be assuming the role of Morgan, a Public Defender seeking answers to a series of murders. In the first episode of this game, you’ll explore crime scenes in a 3D manner, question various individuals, and pursue the truth.
Of The Devil also provides a unique component to the genre – via the world of car games. You can read the “hands” of your opponents, call their bluffs, or go bust if you take the wrong line of questioning. We had the chance to play an abbreviated version of Episode 0, and it delivered. It had the time-tested interrogation mechanics of Phoenix Wright with a unique spin of pushing the limits of your arguments in a way that its predecessor did not accomplish.
Of The Devil currently has Episode 0 available on Steam for free, as well as Episode 1 for purchase. And you can bet…that I will be picking this up soon!
A Little Perspective
- Developer & Publisher: Tad Cordle
- Release Date: TBA
- Platform(s): PC (Steam), Mac OS, Windows OS
Sometimes, you’re not in the mood for a heavy narrative game (a la The Last of Us or Bioshock). Sometimes, you just want a puzzle game that will make you think. At Play.NYC, I got just such a little entry when I tried my hand at A Little Perspective.
In A Little Perspective, you’ll be rolling around a little cube from Point A to Point B. Here’s the catch: your path isn’t always going to be very obvious. The game itself takes a unique approach of puzzle-solving by allowing the rotation of the camera around the fixed point of the cube. Each rotation will provide a forced perspective of the puzzle…and might just open up new pathways.
I spent a good…fifteen minutes getting lost in this little puzzle game. While some of the puzzles are easy from the start, they drastically take an upswing in terms of their difficulty, really forcing you to think about the various perspectives and how you can get to your end destination.
A Little Perspective can be added to your Wishlist on Steam today, with access to a free demo now.
Ghost Eater
- Developer & Publisher: Greenbullet
- Release Date: TBA
- Platform(s): PC (Steam)
Hack and slash games are perfect “turn your brain off” genre of gaming after a long day at work. My first foray into this style of gaming was with MadWorld on the Wii. Yes…I’m old. When I walked by a booth at Play.NYC, I could not help but feel like I was being pulled right back into that world with Ghost Eater.
Ghost Eater is a hack and slash style game, with a manga-style artistic flair, that truly feels like a step back to MadWorld (which in itself was inspired by Frank Miller’s Sin City). Right up my alley – Sin City was one of the earliest graphic novels that I read as a wee young lad.
The combat style in Ghost Eater felt so fluid and nice, with gratifying executions of combo attacks and unique abilities. In the time that I played this game, I definitely got the feeling that this a game that is best described as “easy to learn, hard to master”. The world in which the game sits, a sci-fi dystopia, feels bleak and empty…while being dangerous at the same time.
Ghost Eater can be added to your Wishlist on Steam today.
Gennady
There is a specific genre of gaming for those who love pain. And no – I’m not talking about Souls-like games. I’m talking about the 2D platformers that will truly test your skills. Games like Celeste and Super Meat Boy where you may develop the urge to throw your controller across the room…but you can’t because of the carpal tunnel you’ve developed! Given my impressions of Gennady at Play.NYC, I think that this game will be another entry into that list of games.
Brought to us by Armenia-based Feed 64 Studio, Gennady is a 2D platformer that promises to include a dash of roguelike elements (with various upgrades to Gennady, our protagonist). Use your skills, your rage, and your special abilities to keep moving and reach the end of the level.
One of the things that immediately struck me about Gennady was the art style. While drawing inspiration from the black-and-white comics (much like Ghost Eater), what this game also includes are splashes of color throughout the world. The game also promises to be a venture where no run will be the same as the last, or the next.
Gennady can be added to your Wishlist on Steam today. There is also a demo available to try your hands at this unique platformer.
Conclusion to Play.NYC 2025
What I discussed above was only the tip of the iceberg of some of the fascinating projects I saw at Play.NYC. The passion within the indie gaming scene is something that is so invigorating and promising to see.
Stay tuned for some additional content that we’ll be writing up about some of the specialized components of this year’s Play.NYC! Want to know what they might be? You’ll have to come back and visit us at Gamer Social Club!
