Krikzz has put out some amazing flash cartridges throughout the last decade. Thanks to Krikzz and their team, we have been fortunate enough to feature the FXPak Pro, the EverDrive GG X7, and now we are going to be taking a look at the Everdrive N8 Pro.
The Everdrive N8 Pro is a flash cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System, more often referred to as the NES. The cartridge comes in two colors, red and standard gray as pictured here. The red cartridge as seen in the picture above is what we were sent for review. There is no difference in how it performs or anything like that, just a choice between standard cartridge gray and a distinct red color.
This cartridge features instant ROM loading to load all of your legally dumped games on one cart for instant loading and it’s rather impressive just how fast it loads.
Support for all NESMaker games with partial support for NESMaker 2.0 I am hopeful that full NESMaker 2.0 support will come with a firmware update, though no official word has been given and this is pure speculation. With as much support as this cart offers when it comes to mappers, there are a few custom mappers that don’t work with it, but I am unable to find specifics as of the time of writing this review. Despite the lack of support for some mappers, it is possible to import mappers into the cart to address this, but explaining how to do this or even attempting it, is well beyond my capabilities.
The way you would add mappers to the cartridge is through the use of software along with the micro USB port on the top of the cart. This USB port, just like with the FX-Pak Pro, is meant for programming games and debugging on the fly. It can also be used to transfer games to and from the micro SD Card using a PC, just like the FX-Pak Pro.
The other thing I wanted to mention about the physical features of the cart is that it has a dedicated button for swapping Famicom Disk System game images. The only issue with this is that if you don’t have a top loader or a clone console, you will not have access to this button.
On the side of software besides the mapper support, this cartridge offers save states to save and load your game progress at any time. The cart features 100 save states for games, which isn’t a lot, if say you’re a developer and playing through your game while testing on real hardware. On the other hand though, as a player are you really going to be playing over 100 games all at once? I would expect this to be a hard no, though I am sure there are a few of you out there that would argue for there to be more than what’s offered here.
Aside from save states, there is also support for volume options, diagnostics you can perform on the cart, and support for volume adjustments which is nice. There is even an RTC built in for tracking date and time for save states which is handy if you ever need to back them up to a PC.
Last thing I want to mention about the capabilities with the software of this cart is the inclusion of Game Genie Support. That’s right, now you can save your NES by using the built in Game Genie support right on the Everdrive N8 Pro!
So I have briefly touched on the hardware and software, but how do the games play? Well let’s take a look at a few of them.
ZDEY is an action platformer from ARTcade that came out awhile back and it plays without issue here on the N8 Pro. It has nice colors and great performance. Definitely a game I would suggest playing if you have an NES.
Rollie is one of those games that has a real special place in my heart. One of the first retro indie games I had the opportunity to check out many years ago at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. This is a wonderful platformer that lets you play single player or cooperatively and one I would highly recommend playing.
From Below is the best tribute to Tetris that I have ever played, and I have played a lot of Tetris tribute games over the years. This game features a kraken that comes up from the depths and tries to push your pieces up and make it harder to score points. This is playing as well as I would expect, and definitely a game I would recommend for every Tetris fan.
The Fairy Land Story is an arcade platformer that was in development but never officially released for the Famicom and was originally released on the arcade. Just how this came about is an interesting story and I am happy to say that the game plays just fine with the Everdrive N8 Pro.
Steel Legion is a run and gun platforming game with some Metroidvania elements to it. The game is a lot of fun and a game I would highly recommend checking out if you’re a fan of Contra or Metroid. This game as you can see plays with no issues on the Everdrive N8 Pro.
The last game I will feature here is a Famicom Disk System game. This is Doki Doki Panic. As you can see, this game played without issue and looks great. This is the game that Super Mario Bros 2 was based on here in the West. I would have much preferred this game over Mario Bros 2, but I get why the decision was made to not have this come to the West.
We have looked at a handful of games that can be played using the Everdrive N8 Pro. Famicom Disk System, prototypes, retro indies…I mean as far as I know, there isn’t a game that this flash cart can’t play.
In conclusion, would I recommend picking up this product, even when the asking price is $159 (or your region equivalent)? Well look at what all it will play. You can play Famicom, NES, Famicom Disk System, retro indies, prototypes, commercial games, fan translations and all with a single cartridge. You have support for save states and are even able to use Game Genie cheat codes. You have the potential to legally dump your entire NES, Famicom, and Famicom Disk System games and have them all playable on a single NES cart with the Everdrive N8 Pro.
So to make a very long answer short and if it wasn’t obvious, yes. I most definitely would suggest picking up the Everdrive N8 Pro. I have used knock-off carts that are half the price of the Everdrive N8 Pro that don’t save your game and don’t have a lot of the mapper support that this cart offers.
When it comes to flash cartridges for your retro platforms, there is no other developer and manufacturer that comes anywhere near the quality and dedication as Krikzz and their team. So yes, at $159 (or your region equivalent), this is more than a fair asking price for what this cartridge is capable of. Again, do yourself a favor and pick up this cart for your NES!
You can check out the Everdrive N8 Pro here
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.