Stephanie reporting for duty at the 20th anniversary of New York Comic Con. This massive event draws thousands of comic and gaming enthusiasts around the globe, and I had the honor of attending on behalf of Boss Rush Network. It’s been a doozy, so check out what I’ve been up to.
Stephanie Klimov is the VP of Media Relations and Copy Editor at Boss Rush Network.
Saturday, October 10th, 2026
Perhaps one of the busiest days of the con began off-site. After grabbing a hefty breakfast NY bagel, I ventured to SHiFT where SEGA’s Stranger than Heaven experience was located. The first area was an open-floor concept, projecting images of characters and locations within the game. No photography or recording was allowed upstairs where I played a 15-minute demo.
The atmosphere was cozy, but the demo was nothing short of action-packed. The demo consisted of three slices of time, and each one had an objective to beat up thugs or bosses. In the first area, which had the easiest combat, I found a location where I could arm wrestle. I beat that fun mini game, then proceeded to fight my first batch of enemies.
Stranger Than Heaven‘s combat is deliberate, with the left and right bumper and trigger buttons as you left and right attacks. The B button was a general block; however, you can also shift blocking to the left or right, and if you block an attack from the same direction, you open up space for a counterattack. This is key for later, more punishing fights.
The second fight consisted of a batch of thugs and one larger brute. I fought back with a metal pipe, and thanks for blocking and evading, I was able to evade a game over and defeated the group. The final stage consisted of a sole boss with a katana. He was punishing; he struck quickly and repeatedly. I died once, and I learned to really lean on a perfect block and use of healing items and food.
Overall, the demo only solidified my desire to play this game when it releases in January 2027. The graphics are beautiful, and each decade transported me to a Japan of that era. The crowd often had things to say to the protagonist (text appearing above their heads), and although I could not freely explore each map because it was a demo, I could tell that there will be lots to do in the full game.
Afterward, I headed to the Javits center to meet up with a good friend, Dan, also known as Danomak. After a little snafoo with Stub Hub, we explored the expo hall together. I tagged along while he got autographs from Ian McDiarmid, also known as Palpatine in Star Wars. We also found James Saito, who played Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was a huge fan of the franchise as a child, and he was such a friendly person. I ended up with an autograph from him as well.
We walked around one last time before we all had to part ways. This will be my last day at NY Comic Con, but I felt like I’ve already seen so much. Thank you for sharing my experience with you, and I hope to cover it again next year.
Boss Rush Network Spotlight Interview Series – Part of Boss Rush Podcast Plus
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