5 of the best party games on Evercade

For some of you fine folks out there, today is Thanksgiving. For the rest of you, it’s Thursday. Either way, it’s a great time to get some friends over and enjoy some multiplayer party games the old-fashioned way — with everyone in the same room, laughing, joking and trash-talking. Cold winter nights can feel all the more lonely in this increasingly isolated age in which we live — so why not call a pal or three up and enjoy these great same-room multiplayer titles on Evercade?

Summer/Winter/World/California Games (TheC64 Collection 1+2)

We’re grouping these all together, since they all have the same appeal elements: the ability for up to eight players to play together, each representing a country (or, in the case of California Games, sponsor) of their choice, competing for the best scores and results in a variety of different events, each of which play a little differently from the others.

As the names suggest, each of the “Games” titles for Evercade has a distinct focus. Summer Games from TheC64 Collection 1 features events you’d find in the Summer Olympics — and not just track and field events, either. Winter Games, also on TheC64 Collection 1, unsurprisingly features events you’d find in the Winter Olympics. World Games on TheC64 Collection 2 features a mixture of unusual events, not all of which you’d find in a regular Olympics, and each of which is associated with a particular specific country from around the world. Finally, California Games, also on TheC64 Collection 2, includes events associated with the inimitable “cool” culture of California, USA, circa 1987 — many of which evolved into what we know today as “extreme sports”.

Be sure to glance over the manual before you play each event, as very few require the stereotypical “sports game waggle” to play; most events in all four of these games are more about timing and accuracy than mangling your joypad.

On Evercade VS, certain events in each game can be played by up to two players simultaneously with two controllers connected to ports 1 and 2 on the console. But as an added bonus, it’s actually possible to play them all in turn-based multiplayer on Evercade EXP or original Evercade handheld by ensuring the number of joysticks is set to 1 on the opening menu (which it should be by default — we made sure of that!) — then just pass and play the device to enjoy the game together. You can even connect your Evercade to the TV via a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable and enjoy the fun on the big screen.

Micro Mages

One of the absolute best four-player games on Evercade VS, Micro Mages from the Morphcat Games Collection 1 cartridge is an absolute hoot. Since Micro Mages features very straightforward mechanics, it’s very easy to teach to new players, and before long you’ll be advancing up the game’s stages, enjoying its distinctive blend of cooperative and competitive gameplay. Working together helps everyone progress through the levels — but you’ll also want to grab more treasure than everyone else if you want to appear atop the scoreboard between stages!

If you’re yet to try Micro Mages for yourself, it’s one of many great examples of “modern retro” indie development that you can find among the Evercade library. In fact, it shot developer Morphcat Games to stardom when their video about how they fit the entire game into a 40 kilobyte ROM became a viral sensation, racking up over 3 million views since its release in 2018.

At heart, it’s an arcade-style platformer in which between one and four tiny mages battle their way up a series of towers, defeating foes and collecting treasure along the way. Occasionally the action is broken up with challenging boss fights, and the scenery shifts every few stages to keep things interesting. It’s a delight to play, and testament to the ingenuity and creativity of today’s indie developers, even when working with technologically limited hardware. Plus, if you beat it, there’s the much more challenging Micro Mages: Second Quest to take on, also included on the Morphcat Games Collection 1 cartridge!

Sensible Soccer

If you want a great, easy-to-understand game sure to liven up any gathering, Sensible Soccer is hard to beat. Seen on Codemasters Collection 1 in its well-regarded 16-bit console incarnation — some folks even believe this is the best version of the game, though we won’t get into that argument right now! — it’s one of the most flexible, enjoyable multiplayer games available on Evercade. And don’t let the fact it’s a soccer game put you off if that sort of thing isn’t usually your jam; its simple, arcadey feel and straightforward controls make it pick-up-and-play enough to entertain even the most ardent sports-hater.

Probably the best thing about Sensible Soccer for a social situation is its sheer level of customisability. You can fully personalise teams, including individual player names, and set up leagues with up to 20 participants, including a mix of human- and computer-controlled teams as you desire. This lets everyone taking part feel like they can really make the experience their own — and you can even save those customisations for a later rematch.

Sensible Soccer is a classic for good reason. And once you’ve spent an evening enjoying it with friends, you’ll understand why.

Arcade Pool

Continuing the theme of “easy to pick up” games, we have Arcade Pool from Team17 Collection 1. This Amiga classic is one of the best ever adaptations of almost anything you’d ever want to do on a billiard table (aside from things it wasn’t specifically designed for, obviously) and features a variety of different ways to play. If you’re in the mood for UK pub-style 8-ball, that’s readily available. Fancy some US-style 9-ball? Got you covered. Want to show your skills with some Speed Pool? Go right ahead.

Like Sensible Soccer, Arcade Pool is an enormously customisable game that allows you to tweak it to your own specific preferences, even going so far as to adjust the table friction and colour. A full Custom Pool mode allows you to set things up to your liking, and a special Survivor mode allows up to 8 players to compete and see who is the last pool shark standing.

Arcade Pool may not have the glitz and glam of flashier games, but what it does provide is a damn fine game of pool. And sometimes that’s exactly what you’re in the mood for. Grab a beer and rack ’em up.

Warlords

And we close out with the game that, on its original release, provided one of the best ever uses of tabletop “cocktail”-style arcade cabinets. Atari’s Warlords, found on Atari Arcade 1, is a game that is simple in concept but riotously fun when played with three friends. All you need to do is smash your way through your opponents’ castle walls and hit the icon therein. Simple, right?

Well, yes — but that’s the beauty of Warlords. Anyone can pick it up and understand it right away, but the frantic pace at which the game moves means that things are always chaotic and unpredictable, even for veteran players. You’ll never know who’s going to win a match until the final blow is struck — and then you’ll be raring to go for another battle.

Warlords was one of the earliest four-player games out there on its original release to arcades in 1980 — and it’s remained popular with fans ever since. After a battle or two against three pals, you’ll understand why.

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These are just a few of the many games now available for Evercade, and we’re sure you have your own thoughts on what the best party games on the platform are, Thanksgiving celebrations or no! So join the conversation — hit us up on our social channels (Discord is typically our most active hangout by virtue of its “real-time” nature) and let us know what your favourites are.