Bad Trip: NYC is an action indie split-screen co-op FPS roguelike set in a version of New York where reality has folded around a mysterious source of hallucinatory smoke. Players navigate streets, subways, catacombs, and impossible folds of the city as two characters who descend toward that source, managing an unpredictable trip that the city itself triggers without warning.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on scavenging scrap-occult weapons from what the city provides, such as rusty revolvers, nail SMGs, sawed-off shotguns, pipe clubs, candle molotovs, and shotgun bongs. Combat mixes ranged and melee options, with quiet approaches buying time that louder ones cannot. The absence of a dedicated smoke button means the trip arrives on the city's schedule, signaled by tremors or whispers before four unavoidable stages begin: lighting, inhaling, the climb, and reality breaking. During these moments the weapon lowers while the camera remains under player control, forcing continued movement as threats advance.
Reality operates in three shared bands that affect both players simultaneously. Normal presents the city as expected. Within makes the veil legible, revealing what was always present. Above introduces noise, creatures never born, and a HUD that actively lies. Depth determines what counts as real, and every genuine entity carries one tell that copies cannot replicate. Reading these tells forms the primary skill rather than trial-and-error deaths. The presentation uses PS1 lo-fi visuals with CRT effects and a trip stack that alters truth itself, supported by comfort options including intensity sliders, CRT toggle, shake toggle, and whisper ducking.
Game Modes
The game supports split-screen co-op for two players on one couch or solo play. In co-op the entire party experiences the same reality bend at once, so one player cannot see something the other misses. When one character goes down, the other must kneel nearby and talk them back. Solo runs follow the same systems without a partner, maintaining the single shared truth across the session. No separate private hallucination mode exists.
Is It Worth Playing?
Players who enjoy roguelike progression paired with deliberate, tension-driven combat and co-op that enforces identical perspectives will find the systems rewarding. The emphasis on reading tells over repeated deaths, combined with the shared trip mechanics, creates a distinct experience for those comfortable with psychological elements and lo-fi presentation. Availability on PC allows access to the full feature set, including all comfort options from the initial build. Those seeking conventional FPS loops or independent hallucination mechanics may find the rigid shared-reality design less appealing.
