The Rare Collection 1 cartridge is one of those releases that makes you stop and think about just how good Evercade has become at preserving gaming history. Rare — the studio behind some of the most beloved games of the 8-bit and 16-bit era — has a back catalogue that deserves to be celebrated, and this cart does exactly that.
WHY RARE’S BACK CATALOGUE MATTERS
Before Rare became synonymous with Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye, the studio spent years crafting some genuinely excellent games for the NES. Working under the name Ultimate Play the Game before that, and then pushing the NES further than most thought possible, Rare built a reputation for quality and technical ambition that few studios could match.
These are games that shaped a generation of players — many of whom may never have had the chance to experience them on original hardware. Getting them onto a single Evercade cartridge is a big deal.
WHAT’S ON THE CART
Rare Collection 1 brings together a selection of NES classics that showcase the breadth of what the studio could do. You’re getting action, adventure, and arcade-style gameplay all in one place.
Battletoads is the obvious headline act. Notoriously tough, endlessly entertaining, and still looking sharp today — it’s a must-play for anyone who hasn’t tackled it before. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you about the Turbo Tunnel.
R.C. Pro-Am is a genuine classic. The isometric racing was ahead of its time on the NES, and it holds up remarkably well. Collecting letters, upgrading your vehicle, and battling rival racers still feels satisfying decades later.
Cobra Triangle doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. This overhead water-based shooter asks a lot of you — defending bases, fighting bosses, managing multiple threats at once — and the payoff is hugely satisfying when it clicks.
Slalom takes things in a very different direction with its skiing gameplay, while Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll offers a quirky isometric platformer that showed just how creative Rare’s design teams could be.
THE EVERCADE EXPERIENCE
Playing these games on Evercade — whether on the VS, the EXP, or one of the handheld units — feels completely natural. The cartridge format suits retro collections like this perfectly, and having a physical product to put on your shelf alongside the original era of gaming it represents is something digital storefronts simply can’t replicate.
The games run well, and the convenience of having them all in one place without hunting down original NES carts (or relying on emulation) is genuinely appreciated. This is exactly the kind of preservation work Evercade was built for.
SHOULD YOU PICK IT UP?
If you have any affection for the NES era — or if you’re a retro gaming fan who wants to understand why Rare became such a legendary studio — Rare Collection 1 is an easy recommendation. The quality is consistently high, the variety keeps things interesting, and Battletoads alone is worth the price of admission for newcomers.
For long-time fans, it’s a wonderful piece of nostalgia packaged in exactly the right way.
Want the full game list, more details, and the latest availability information? Head over to our dedicated Rare Collection 1 page for everything you need to know before you add this one to your collection.
