It has been a while since I attended a gaming event in New York. New York Comic Con used to be my go-to, but it hasn’t had much of a gaming presence for quite some time. Luckily, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment invited me to go to the NYC Video Game Festival 2026. This is the second year of the event, and it was a great opportunity to spotlight indie developers working on unique gameplay experiences you can’t find in the AAA space.
First up, we have Cakefoot: a delightfully simple yet painfully addictive game. It’s literally only one button you press to move forward, while releasing it makes you move backward. But therein lies its genius. You’ll be guiding your cake with feet along various levels, following pre-determined lines that zigzag all around. Of course, there are many things out there to kill you, including fish, fire, bombs, and spikes. There’s also the tantalizing prospect of avoiding hazards to amass coins that unlock emojis. Checkpoints are given just enough per level to not drive you crazy and to actually push you to redo a difficult section over and over and over again. It is such a brilliant, simple concept. You can play a demo of Cakefoot on Steam or just buy it for a measly $2.99.
Next, Shootlanzer wowed me with its presentation alone (though its gameplay is also top-notch). Attendees had the option of playing the title on a custom arcade cabinet, so you know I had to kick it old school. A modern shmup, the game has you controlling Leona Almeida, a Mid-air Mobile Soldier. It has some classic trappings like a shot power-up system, but it also has a dodge that activates this temporary slow-motion if you time it just right. Besides the dodging and weaving you’ll do with regular enemies, there are also giant bosses at the end of each stage. These baddies have missiles that will damage you if you don’t destroy them quickly, so there’s always a bit of extra tension during these segments. The bosses are also the perfect time to unleash your screen-filling super move, dealing massive damage. What I also enjoyed were the onscreen prompts to “SHOOT IT!!” regarding the aforementioned missiles, and the “SPIN ON!” to indicate when your dodge cooldown was over and ready to utilize again. There are always so many things to keep track of in a shmup, so it’s nice to have some indicator reminders. You can grab the demo of Shootlanzer over at Itch.io by naming your own price.
Of course, it wasn’t just violence, shooting, and frustration on hand at the event. Captain Corgi: Planetary Problem Solver allowed guests to unwind with a relaxed adventure. While the main game has you and your brother Lem sailing to different planets to solve issues, the demo I played showed the introduction to these characters. Corgi knows his mom was a space pirate back in the day, so he has an innate sense of adventure already. I ran around town with Corgi, swapping my comic book for a rake so I could do chores for my mom’s old shipmate. She had the fuel necessary to pilot the space sailboat, so I had to do what she wanted to get it. Besides raking, I painted her fence and had Lem mow the lawn. The title has cute dialogue, funny jokes, and gentle music. I’d love to see how the puzzles open up once you leave your hometown. You can wishlist Captain Corgi: Planetary Problem Solver on Steam.
Last, but certainly not least, we have one of the most inventive games of the show. Bullet Brain has you control a parasite that jumps between different bodies, possessing enemies and utilizing their weapons to beat concise levels. Use the mouse to aim, then press the space bar to jump between bodies. What starts out simple becomes devilishly complex, as your hosts move on their own, forcing you to aim and jump at various angles in quick succession. It gets even crazier as you hop into enemies, using their movement and weapons to either destroy others or hop into them as your life timer rapidly runs out. You need really quick reflexes to make it to the end of each level, and I was sweating trying to do so. Words don’t do Bullet Brain justice, so check out its trailer on Steam and download the demo to try it for yourself.
I really enjoyed the games I checked out at the NYC Video Game Festival 2026. I hope the event continues to expand, moving into a bigger space to accommodate even more developers. The show also had competitions involving Valorant, League of Legends, and Minecraft, so check out more information on how everything went down here.
