It’s back!

That’s right, after being on hiatus since the end of 2023, it’s that time of the month again – so let’s check out the current, free, Game of the Month for the Evercade!

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.

The second round of Game of the Month titles featured games from Indie Heroes 3; as you may expect, the 2024 selection will be appearing in the upcoming Indie Heroes 4 cartridge.

What is The Curse of Illmore Bay,the first Evercade Game of the Month for 2024?

It might be a weird time of year for Halloween, but the story of The Curse of Illmore Bay sees the titular town forced to endure Halloween, all day, every day.

Which wouldn’t be so bad if the monsters weren’t real.

The Curse of Illmore Bay is an action platformer for 1 or 2 players simultaneously.

It’s packed with stuff to find and collect, and it plays beautifully, with a selection of three characters who each have their own strengths.

It’s really nicely designed, and both the 16-bit visuals and sound are absolutely lovely.

Given that it’s free for Evercade owners (at least if you have an EXP or VS), it’s well worth giving it a go!

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, Indie Heroes Collection 2 here and Indie Heroes Collection 3 here.