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It’s June already! That means it’s time for another Game of the Month. For those new to Evercade, Game of the Month is a programme where Evercade VS and Evercade EXP owners can download a new independently developed game for free every month between April and December. You can enjoy the full version of the game without limits right up until the next update, at which point it will be replaced by something completely new to try! Next year, all of the Game of the Month titles for this year, plus a few exclusive extras, will be published on the Indie Heroes Collection 4 cartridge, which will likely drop around February.
Game of the Month for June 2024 is Nyghtmare: The Ninth King, an atmospheric platformer by independent developer Elvies, who aimed to pay homage to some of their all-time favourite games with their own creation. Nyghtmare: The Ninth King was originally developed for 8-bit handheld and is the first entry in a series.
In the world of Nyghtmare: The Ninth King, the “Call” is a mysterious ability that, for many years, gave the Church of Ul dominion over the Kingdom of Mortemire, for it seemingly alleviated physical suffering. However, it became apparent over time that the Call was actually an imperfection that gradually deteriorates the mind as it is used, and thus the kingdom gradually fell to ruin over time.
Now, the forgotten kingdom has reappeared centuries later, seemingly out of nowhere. The undead citizens and creatures of the night have gathered around the central city in response to an unknown call. Two individuals have come to the cursed kingdom for their own reasons: young woman Aryn, who seems to bear some relation to the heretical Sisters of the Nyght, once massacred by the Church, and masked knight Blizz, who holds a grudge against the creatures of the night. It’s your job to help one (or both!) of them battle through six stages to reach the heart of Castle Mortemire and the truth behind the kingdom’s return.
Nyghtmare: The Ninth King is an action platformer in which you control Aryn or Blizz on their quest. Each character has their own distinct abilities. Use the D-pad to move Aryn or Blizz, A to attack and B to jump. Select allows them to use their subweapons so long as you have enough ammunition for them.
Aryn has two unique abilities. Firstly, she can use her whip to hook onto crowns and reach otherwise inaccessible areas. To do this, hold Up on the D-pad as you whip the crowns. Secondly, she can slide by pressing B and down on the D-pad or the Start button. She can use this ability to get through small gaps and reach some secret areas.
Blizz, meanwhile, is unable to slide or use crowns, but he does have the ability to break certain walls to reveal shortcuts and secrets. He can also use his subweapon ability to heal. Note that each “shot” of his healing ability fully heals him, so in order to save ammunition, it’s best to only heal when you’re at critical health.
As you explore the levels, you’ll encounter a variety of objects. Lanterns can be attacked to reveal helpful items, which may include health, extra lives or scarabs that replenish subweapon ammunition. Lanterns hanging from a lamppost, meanwhile, act as checkpoints, so if Aryn or Blizz is defeated, they will respawn from that spot rather than the beginning of the level.
You’ll also uncover lore about the background of Mortemire by finding books, orbs and certain non-player characters. To interact with items and characters that are not enemies, push Up on the D-pad while standing in front of them.
There are also cats. You can pet the cats.
And with that, you know everything you need to know to tackle the challenges of Nyghtmare: The Ninth King. Will you uncover the mysteries of Mortemire… or will you join the undead horde? Only one way to find out!
To get started with Nyghtmare: The Ninth King and the Game of the Month programme for 2024, connect your Evercade VS or EXP to the Internet via the Network option in Settings, then perform a system update to the latest available firmware version.
When you’re all updated, you’re ready to go — start the game through the VS or EXP logo on the left of the main Evercade menu and get ready for the undead hordes!
Note that we always recommend Evercade users keep their consoles up to date as a matter of course to ensure maximum compatibility with new cartridge releases and implement fixes to known issues. Please see the Evercade support pages for full patch notes; all new firmware updates are cumulative, so update once and you’ll see all the benefits.
Please note that saves from the Game of the Month edition of Nyghtmare: The Ninth King will not carry across to the Indie Heroes Collection 4 cartridge when that releases in February of 2025 (TBC).
Quelle: Blaze Entertainment
