Is it that time already? It seems so – as we have a new, free Game of the Month for the Evercade!

As of April, the Game of the Month feature has been made available not just for Evercade VS owners, but for Evercade EXP owners too – win win, right?

First things first, however.

What is the Game of the Month feature on the Evercade?

The Game of the Month feature was initially launched on the Evercade VS, the full size, multiplayer, TV-based variant of the Evercade. Each month, a new game from the Indie Heroes 2 Collection was made available to download for the Evercade VS – absolutely free of charge.

Though downloading a new Game of the Month would erase the previous game – and your saves with it – there was no reason why you couldn’t simply skip an update and new game if you wanted to keep your currently downloaded game and its progress.

The original Evercade handheld didn’t have Wi-Fi functionality, so the feature was locked to the Evercade VS; however, the Evercade EXP has no such problem – so the Game of the Month feature can now be made available on both home console and handheld.

Following the launch of Indie Heroes 2, the feature was put on a brief hiatus – until now!

What is Thunder Paw, the second Evercade Game of the Month for 2023?

A pretty challenging platform run and gun game, Thunder Paw casts you as a puppy named Thunder – who’s setting out to rescue his parents, with only a note from an unknown kidnapper as a clue.

The lovely pixel art animation and excellent gameplay – which sees you trying to defeat every enemy in a stage before moving onto the next – are complemented by the genuinely superb soundtrack.

Deviously placed collectables are placed throughout each level and you can also check how many of these you have left to find at a glance, just as you can with enemies – making it that much more compelling to track down every last one!

Thunder Paw will feature on the Indie Heroes Collection 3, which is to be released in 2024.

All other Game of the Month titles throughout 2023 will also be featuring on the third Indie Heroes Collection too, which will also contain some games exclusive to the cartridge!

How do I download the Evercade Game of the Month?

On your console – either Evercade Vs or Evercade EXP – go to the Settings menu, then select the System option.

Then choose Check for Updates; this should trigger the system update which will contain your Game of the Month (as well as other firmware updates or fixes too).

Note that if you’re attempting this on an Evercade EXP, you’ll need to have at least 50% battery or have the console plugged in and charging.

Do also note that your system may shut down and restart automatically, sometimes multiple times, during this process.

Have faith and patience – and just wait for it to go through these steps without interrupting the process as it does this.

Where will I find my Evercade Game of the Month?

On the Evercade EXP, you’ll find your Game of the Month in the EXP menu, selected on the left hand side of the screen.

The VS is slightly different, though it’s in essentially the same place – the icon is a star, rather than the EXP option on the handheld.

In any case, if you have an Evercade VS, an Evercade EXP – or both – what are you waiting for? Go and download the Evercade Game of the Month right now. You can thank me later!

You can purchase the first Indie Heroes Collection from Amazon here – and Indie Heroes Collection 2 here.