Not being an avid card player, I was pleasantly surprised by Lords of New York. The game takes a very unique approach to poker as the studio aims to incorporate high stakes poker into a rise to the top story seen through the eyes of a 1920’s mobster who ends up in prison.
The game’s visuals are simple but stunning, built in the studios custom built animation software that has garnered interest from big animation companies. The game puts a twist of Texas Hold ‘Em poker through the use of dirty tricks and abilities one would expect in a prison poker circuit. For instance you can spike an opponent’s drink and make them act erratically for several turns. You can even slip by with peeking at your opponent’s cards at a quick glance. These abilities incorporate new layers of strategy. It forces you to learn what bad habits your opponent might be inclined to use and its up to you to play a good poker game on top of playing your opponent.
The total play time is not definitive. The story for Lords of New York will progress through several acts and will eventually branch off into side stories that you can explore, adding to the replay factor. For fans of both poker and story-driven gameplay, Lords of New York seamlessly blends both into a good story sprinkled with humor, fluid animation, and of course mastering the art of the sly tricks of playing poker with your inmates.
Frankly, the title seems to be pegged in a pretty niche market. One I’m generally not a part of. Despite that fact, I enjoyed the small piece of the game I was able to play and could see others enjoying it whether they are into card games or not. Check out the trailer for Lords of New York below. There is no confirmed release date yet but the game should be on steam in 2016.