Introduction
Despite being around video games from an early age, there’s hundreds of titles that I’ve never had opportunity to play. As time has gone on, it’s either increasingly difficult to get original hardware to run and/or display correctly on a fancy pants 4K TV, or the costs associated with retro gaming are prohibitively expensive – and the prices are increasing more and more over time. Okay sure, you could go down the legally grey area of emulation and play ROMs downloaded from the interwebs,[1] but more often than not it’s preferable to have something that’s legally licensed and doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes to get playing. A proper, old-school retro handheld (and later, console) was what was needed. Step up Blaze and the Evercade system. Blaze have previous experience in this area, developing, amongst other things, mini arcade machines for Atari, and having a go at a similar handheld device in the shape of the Game Gadget (which er, didn’t go well). But the Evercade had, and continues to have, more going for it than that earlier attempt at a console. So join us over the next eight pages as we take a whistle-stop tour through the world of Evercade. The positives, the negatives, and what the future holds for this brand.
[1] And for legal reasons – let’s just make it clear that you should only really be emulating if you own the cart or disc of the original game… but then you already knew that.
So what is it?
Put simply, Evercade is a system produced by Blaze that releases licensed collections from a wide variety of classic and modern video game publishing companies. The selling point of the system is that each collection gets a physical release in collectable numbered boxes and helps preserve gaming history in doing so. Each has a game cart that plugs into one of the Evercade hardware options (more on that over the page). At the time of publication, there have been 26 cartridges released in the main line, and six arcade cartridges. The former include games released on home consoles from the 8-bit to 32-bit eras. The latter do as the name suggests, providing games released in the arcades only, but now available (in many cases for the first time) to play at home. On the way by year’s end is the first in a line of carts covering home computers, with more set for release next year.
The carts cover a wide variety of styles and genres, encompassing almost anything you could think of. There are exceptions – a number of big publishers are noticeably absent (for example, a “Strike” compilation – Desert, Jungle, Urban, Soviet, Nuclear – is unlikely to ever happen while Electronic Arts are so vehemently against re-releasing older titles). Similar too with the likes of Sega, Capcom and Konami, who would be very welcome additions to the system. The main issue, EA aside, is the licensing. Many of these publishers are putting compilations and re-releases out on other modern systems, so it may just be that they’re tied up with existing agreements. Never say never though – while the odds are quite low there’s always a chance that Blaze will be able to work their magic and get some big signings on board – more likely if the system has the sales figures to fit their margins. Time will tell.
Another issue here and there are the games themselves. There are some big hitters showing up on these carts, but there’s also a fair share of duplication of styles and/or games that it may have been better to leave off. That’s not to say that Blaze are at fault here – they can only feature games that they have agreed with the rights holders. Despite this, there is usually plenty elsewhere on the carts to focus your attention. It’s just a shame that they’re not as definitive as perhaps they could have been. The Worms cart is a prime example – just three games on the cart, and two of those play very similarly.
Despite the potential issues, there’s a lot to be gained from going into each new release with a limited knowledge of what they hold. As noted in the introduction, there’s a bounty of games from the 8-bit era that I have absolutely no knowledge of. While not every game on every cart is entirely my style, there’s always something new to keep my interest, and it’s an opportunity to get stuck into some old-school games without worrying about whether the hardware still works, or the inexorable wait for tape games to load. Honestly, it’s one aspect of 80s/90s gaming that I am in no rush to go back to.
Now, as these are licensed carts there is always the risk that things will change. For example, the licences on four carts have since expired (Namco Collection 1 and 2, Technos Collection 1, and Oliver Twins Collection). This means that, eventually, when the existing stock runs out (and unless another licensing deal is agreed), the only way to pick up these carts will be through third party sales. Not an ideal position to be in, but it’s the nature of the beast. The good news is there will be a constant stream of new releases throughout the year, and it’s also worth bearing in mind that there’s no obligation to collect the full set. I know, I know. That’s what most of us will do anyway, but there should be no pressure. Where licences have expired, if you like the look of the games then it’s definitely recommended to pick them up ASAP to avoid disappointment.
With a mixture of hardware available, and more carts on the way, it would be great for Blaze to get hold of some big name signings over the next year or two and really push the system further. It does feel that we’re still early on in the lifecycle of this however, and so far the signs are encouraging.
Collectable Carts… in this day and age?!
Yes, that’s right, and it’s not as crazy as you may think. These are collectable carts that feature anywhere between 2 and 20 games (although the average tends to be 10-11 games per cart – still quite respectable overall). Each release comes with a mini booklet describing the games and controls, and some like the recent Morphcat collection have other goodies contained within.
As of this issue there are more than 300 games available to play on the system, not including the hidden extras dotted throughout the hardware and/or cart combos. There are another 50+ games across at least 7 more carts due by the end of the year (see Evercade News on page 17).
The numbered carts are great for people who enjoy collecting things (which let’s face it, if you’re into retro gaming this probably applies to you) and they also look great on the shelf.
The carts themselves are reasonably chunky, far bigger than, say, a Nintendo DS or PS Vita cart. In fact, they’re chunkier than even an OG Game Boy cart, but much smaller than a home console cart such as the SNES. Either way, they have a nice form factor that fits perfectly with the retro aesthetic of the line.
Evercade Handheld
This is the device that got the ball rolling in May 2020. While generally a competent handheld, the plastic finish feels a little on the cheap side, and the screen can be difficult to see properly if you’re holding it at the wrong angle (and not visible at all if you make the mistake of holding it backwards). Downloading firmware updates is also more grief than it really should be as there is no built-in WiFi. From our experience, the Mac downloader rarely works and the Windows version, while otherwise competent, will throw a hissy fit if you use the wrong type of USB cable. How do you know if you’ve used the wrong one? By testing another and seeing if that works. So, not amazing, but without this first step to test the waters we wouldn’t have had all that has followed since.
Evercade VS
The VS launched in December 2021 allowing, as the name suggests, two players to compete on a wide variety of games. Unlike the Handheld, the VS allows you to pop two carts into the system at once, expanding the list of titles available for your gaming session. On top of that, some cart combos unlock additional bonus games not available when playing the individual carts. You can try a few combos yourself, or check out fan site evercade.info which is collating all of the secrets people are finding.
As for the VS itself, it’s got a relatively small form factor comparable to half a SNES. The Premium Pack comes bundled with two controllers with extra, extra long USB cables (a wide variety of other USB pads can also be mapped to the system), and like the good old days there are enough USB ports for up to four controllers. Be aware that the box doesn’t come with a plug, so you’ll need to make sure you use an appropriate one from your own stash to connect the USB cable to the mains. We’ve found that mobile phone plugs tend to provide enough power, whereas those dished out for things like Amazon Kindles aren’t fit for purpose. This is a particular issue when trying to download the latest firmware updates – the latter plug type can crash the system mid-download.
EXP
Launching at the end of this year, the EXP offers a full, premium-style refresh of the original handheld system. Adding additional shoulder buttons, quality of life upgrades such as built-in WiFi, and TATE mode (ideal for vertical shooters), the EXP looks likely to offer another boost to the Evercade ecosystem. We’ll be aiming to review the device in Issue 3.