Evercade's first Visco cartridge packs eight arcade games for $30

Blaze Entertainment has detailed the eight games included on the upcoming Visco Arcade 1 cartridge for the Evercade ecosystem. Originally announced in June alongside a second volume, the $29.99 physical collection launches on August 28. It covers the early arcade output of Japanese developer Visco Corporation, a studio that eventually pivoted away from video games to manufacture casino slot machines in Southeast Asia.

At PPR, we love Evercade. We support anyone that keeps physical releases alive, especially when it involves rescuing old arcade boards from obscurity. According to Evercade's official blog, this cartridge is the result of a partnership with French publisher PixelHeart. PixelHeart currently holds the rights to Visco's back catalog and has spent the last few years porting the studio's work to modern platforms.

Five shooters and a top-down racer

Visco Corporation started in 1982 and eventually became a prolific third-party developer for SNK's Neo Geo hardware. In the mid-1990s, the company even co-developed the SSV arcade board alongside Seta and Sammy. This first cartridge leans heavily into the studio's shoot 'em up output from before that era. The headliner is 1992's Andro Dunos, a horizontal shooter where players can swap between four distinct weapon configurations on the fly. Each weapon type has its own upgrade path. You have to collect specific tokens to boost your homing missiles or defensive shields independently.

The collection also includes several vertical shooters, which benefit directly from Evercade's hardware options. Because the EXP and EXP-R handhelds support TATE mode, you can physically rotate the device to play 1990's Ashura Blaster and 1988's Asuka & Asuka in their original vertical aspect ratios. Earth Joker: U.N. Defense Force (1993) and Galmedes (1992) round out the spaceship combat. Fans of the genre will have plenty of enemy spawn patterns to memorize.

Drift Out started a top-down trend

If you need a break from dodging bullets, the cartridge includes Drift Out (1990). This top-down racer spawned a series of sequels and requires players to navigate tight corners with a heavy emphasis on sliding. It is a punishing game that demands exact timing to avoid spinning out into the grass. There is also Maze of Flott (1989), a puzzle-action game, and the 1995 Neo Geo sports title Goal! Goal! Goal!, which strips soccer down to its fastest arcade components.

Cross-platform save states

The cartridge works across the entire modern Evercade lineup. That includes the VS and VS-R home consoles, which support local co-op for the multiplayer titles. It is also compatible with the upcoming Alpha arcade bartops. This lets you play these games with authentic arcade stick and button layouts. Even the budget-friendly HyperMegaTech Super Pocket devices will run the cartridge without issue.

The unified cartridge system means your save states carry over between the handhelds and the home consoles. You can pause a run of Andro Dunos on the TV and pick it up later on the bus. Visco Arcade 1 is officially designated as cartridge number 23 in the Evercade Arcade Collection. It launches on August 28 for $29.99, £19.99, or €24.99 depending on your region.