This weekend we attended the PLAYNYC convention in Manhattan! I think it’s suffice to say that this was a rewarding experience not only for us here at VoxPop, but also for all indie game developers in attendance. We showed off both Outer Terror and Weaponeer, which players seemed to really connect with.
Four skilled players, who were able to achieve 5000 kills or more during their Outer Terror runs, were rewarded with an Outer Terror Poster. It was incredibly fulfilling to see our hard work pay off, and see players enjoying the games we have helped bring into the forefront.
The real kicker of our booth though, was Space Microscope’s SwordCar. A game that will have exclusive content on the VoxPop Store. The game is explosive, featuring a sword attached to a car that blows up everything in its path. The demo was pretty in-depth featuring an entire first level that had an impressive amount of layers to it.
There was a full tutorial, leading into a highway chase, leading into an enemy royale, ultimately finishing with a boss battle. The game's controls were also tight, there were plenty of options for movement, as well as for attacks.
You can go the simple route by just stabbing enemies with your sword, or you can do a spin attack, which has the added utility of also deflecting projectiles. If you really want to get destructive, you can send out an explosive shuriken from the side of your cars at enemies as well. PLAYNYC was the game's first public outing, and it seemed to be met with great reception. We are all eagerly waiting to see where else Peter will take the game in the future!
Not only did we present some of our games, we also looked at many of the games that other Indie developers in New York City were working on. Hamra Digital’s Big Boss was a highlight for me. I’ve played some of Matt’s work before on stream, specifically Radar Jam, which I had a great time with. One thing that always impresses me about Matt’s work is his UI. It’s always clean and modern, even with his pixelated style of art. Big Boss is a game where the player plays as the boss at the end of a dungeon, and has to fight the heroes trying to conquer the dungeon. You get to customize your boss and even hire minions, who will eventually unionize against you. I can’t wait to see the finished product!
Image Courtesy of Matt’s Twitter, @HamraDigital
This was my first convention showing off some of my work, so it was very exciting for me. My favorite part of the convention was seeing people playing and enjoying our games. It’s one thing to work on bringing these games to life each day, but it’s another to see people playing and enjoying them. I was also able to meet many like minded individuals as well. There are too many to shout out here, but it was truly inspiring to see each and every one’s projects. I was also able to collect a ton of pins for my bag as well, which I always do during my travels.
Overall, PLAYNYC was a major success. I’m already looking forward to the next one! Thank you to everyone who attended and exhibited, and thank you to the, MOME for sponsoring us, PlayCrafting & Metropolitan Pavilion for hosting us!
Connor