Best Evercade Cartridges (Image: EVERCADE)
The Evercade brand has gone from strength to strength since launching back in 2020.
Initially playable on a dedicated handheld device, Evercade cartridges are compatible with various handhelds, home consoles and even a couple of bartop arcade machines.
While the number of Evercade devices has steadily grown, the list of cartridges has positively skyrocketed.
There are hundreds of games available across dozens of cartridges, covering everything from arcade classics and console hits, to indie gems and PC originals.
Ahead of the release of the Broken Sword Collection, Indie Heroes 4 and various SNK compilations, Daily Express looks at five of the best Evercade cartridges you can buy right now.
(I’m excluding the discontinued cartridges listed as ‘Legacy’ on the Evercade website. This means no Namco, Atari, Codemasters, or Piko Collection 1.)
5. Duke Nukem Collection 1
Duke Nukem Collection 1 contains one of the best boomer shooters ever made, as well as the two games that started it all.
Duke Nukem 1 Remastered and Duke Nukem 2 Remastered are upgraded versions of the early 90s action platformers, featuring improved graphics, widescreen support, smoother gameplay and superior sound.
Throw in the incredible Duke Nukem 3D: Total Meltdown, and you have another must-have package.
4. Alwa’s Awakening/Cathedral
The Alwa’s Awakening/Cathedral cartridge makes the case for quality over quantity, featuring just two games compared to the standard 6-10 titles that come with most other Evercade releases.
These 8-bit Metroidvania style platform games are superb, providing hours upon hours of entertainment.
Rich in atmosphere, you’ll need to solve puzzles, discover new items, gain powers and defeat legions of enemies in your quest to save the world.
3. Renovation Collection 1
The Renovation Collection isn’t filled with mainstream hits like some of the other cartridges on the list. Instead you have a dozen 16-bit curios that would cost a small fortune if purchased individually.
As you can see from the list below, the games include everything from epic role-playing adventures to shoot-em-ups, platformers and even pinball!
The games list in full: Arcus Odyssey, Beast Wrestler, Dino Land, El Viento, Exile, Final Zone, Gaiares, Granada, Sol-Deace, Traysia, Valis: The Fantasm Soldier and Valis III.
2. Irem Arcade 1
Perfect for your Evercade Alpha device, Irem Collection 1 contains half a dozen classic games, including iconic shooter R-Type in all its arcade glory.
While R-Type is easily the best of the bunch (it’s arguably the best Evercade game there is), titles like Moon Patrol offer an interesting look into the company’s origins, while Battle Chopper is a unique shooter that’s as addictive as it is challenging.
It’s all capped off with In the Hunt, which is a visually impressive underwater shooter that looks like Metal Slug with submarines.
The full list of games include R-Type, Moon Patrol, 10-Yard Fight, Battle Chopper, Lightning Swords and In The Hunt.
1. Toaplan Arcade 3
Any one of the four Toaplan Arcade Collections could easily fill the top spot, but it’s the combination of Batsugun, Out Zone and Truxton 2 that helps Toaplan Arcade 3 edge out the competition.
As a fan of the shoot-em-up genre, Toaplan Arcade 3 has the best mixture of classic vertical shooters and top-down run and gunners.
The games list in full: Batsugun, Batsugun Special Version, Out Zone, FixEight, Truxton 2, Ghox and Vimana.