Rhys Wynne

So this is a bit of a regular feature – I’m going to share piece of tech that I’ve been enjoying that doesn’t suck. Because let’s be honest, technology sucks. Here’s something that’s good, fun, and doesn’t take the piss with their terms & conditions.

Late last year I’ve stuck in a new system in my house – the Evercade Alpha. I’ve always wanted an arcade machine in my house, and – whilst not an original – this in the office will do. It feels incredibly well made, and I’m able to pull off dragon punches and fireballs easily. But it’s also compatible with Evercade’s vast library of games of games, meaning within about 5 minutes of setting up I was playing Metal Slug 3 again, and once I died I switched to Bubble Bobble. Although I’ve focussed more on the arcade side of things, it also allows playing of non arcade games in Evercade’s library. Roguecraft DX – an Amiga title – works awfully well. Xeno Crisis is a Smash TV esque game that is an indie darling and my god it’s just as intense. I’ve also enjoyed Donut Dodo and Murtop using a control system that absolutely shows how it should be played.

Why Evercade Matters

Now you may ask “Why would you play Evercade when there’s an endless library of games that can be downloaded and emulated?”, but think of it like a vinyl collection. Not every game is a banger on these £20 cartridges, but you can feel the love in these curated quality products. With each game you you are able to spend more time with them because there isn’t as big a paralysis of choice. Each game has a manual (and – therefore – a new manual smell), which serves as a great introduction to the game. You often also get stickers or posters too.

And that’s why, by being a curated platform, the paralysis of choice isn’t there. Instead you pick up a few games, and are forced to play those games, as a few more games cost £20. I sat and played through the entire Creatures II a few years back, and also discovered the excellent The Curse of Illmoore Bay recently, which is “What happens if Mega Man came out on the Mega Drive and also had Zombies Ate My Neighbours Aesthethic?”. You’ll find your new favourite game with Evercade.

My Games

And the final thing? These games are physical, and they are mine. It’s affordable, but they’re physical. No danger of them being removed from store fronts, and in the week that Sony Playstation announced that they won’t be shipping physical games anymore, Evercade seemed to double down on they are physical media first, including a cheeky short on sharing games.

In it, it defined it’s legacy. For in a hundred years time on Bargain Hunt people will be selling Evercade cartridges, and David Dickinson’s great grandson will wax lyrical about the history of Boogerman on the Interplay Collection 1, due to it being discovered for £15 in a car boot in Hitchin. Will people be doing that with Sony’s latest AAA adventure? Or even GTA6? Well they can’t, can they. Download codes that are lost to the wind. A string of numbers, that offer nothing.

Speaking of legacy, only slightly frustrating thing is that due to licencing games can become “legacy” meaning they are removed from sale, but you’ve enough time (usually 2-3 months) to pick it up before it does. Which is fine, but it means I missed the cartridge that contained Sensible Soccer and a fair few Dizzy Games.

There is no real DLC (in fact you can get free and hidden games on a rotation), and everything just works. I love it. I wasn’t convinced at the start with Evercade, but I’m a total convert now.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, Guile is being an utter bastard and he needs a dragon punch to the face.