Vibrating with creativity, wired with joy, at the NYC Indie Dev Night, held at gamer-haven, BrookLAN—a spot dipped in pixel dreams and community beats. I rolled in not knowing what to expect…
and walked out feeling like I just played the future.
My only regret was NOT sporting my Miss Nerdingham wear that night:
Anyways, this one goes out to the builders, the dreamers, the glitchers and code-slingers.
I played. I chatted. I gave some notes.
(Thanks to the devs for letting me nerd out, you rock.)
Here’s my TOP 7 from the night…
#7 — HEREDITY: The Eternal Curse
By solo dev ComiCat
🕹️ A nightmare world blooming in color.
This game feels like if Dark Souls met Lisa Frank in Hell—and I say that as a compliment. The approach? Let’s make the darkness beautiful. A one-dev army building something unforgettable.
🎮 Explore ComiCat's world here
#6 — SHOOTLANZER
By a tiny team on a mission
🎯 A SHMUP made for the people.
Old-school SEGA cabinet vibes. Bug-world aesthetic. A throwback with modern juice. They’re trying to do what Killer Queen did—arcade cabinet with accessibility and replay built in. I respect the mission.
🚀 Check it here
#5 — NOVA
Lead: Jamal Woods
🌟 A star with attitude.
Nova is cute, clever, and challenging. The vibe is bouncing from asteroid to asteroid as a lil' celestial spark. It’s one of those games you can’t stop smiling through until it kicks your butt. Big potential. I’m rooting for this team.
#4 — CHIPWITS
By Mark Roth
🤖 A classic remixed for today.
This is edutainment without the cringe. Program your bot. Solve puzzles. It’s fun for kids and puzzle-head adults alike. If I were still in Ed-Tech, I’d be lighting a signal flare to get this in classrooms.
👾 Ready for your eyes on Steam!
#3 — GHOST EATER
From a music mind turned pixel-punk
🎸 Cyberpunk hacker samurai, anyone?
Made by a musician in their off-hours. Japanese-style, hack-and-slash, dreamy and gritty. The combat’s tight, the vibes are sharp like a katana dipped in synthwave. I wanted more, more, more.
💀 Follow on Steam here!
#2 — Love, Career & Magic
A hilarious fantasy RPG card game
✨ D&D meets BIG BROTHER.
You’re in a reality TV show… with fantasy characters. The art? Adorable. The concept? Hilarious. It already hit its funding goals and it’s on its way to a publisher. The table-top world better make room.
🃏 Learn about it here!
#1 — CATATATTACK
By Jalan
🐱 This one got me. Cracked-my-code.
Side-scrolling, cat-fighting, beat-em-up goodness. It’s cool. It’s funny. It’s got that unmissable juice. Jalan’s cooking a hit. I’m first in line when this drops, no question.
🔥 Follow the hype on Twitter here!
A NEW CHALLENGER!
This party ain’t stopping in May. It’s going all summer, baby! Imma-be hitting up these two indie-game-shindigs very soon. See you there?
> TRANSMISSION COMPLETE
> NEXT WAVE: [Hearts and Potions]
> UPLINK STILL ACTIVE_ █▒▒▒▒▒
Keep it wired. Keep it woke. Keep it funky.
– CH13FTAIN