Flash carts have become such an integral part of retro gaming that they are now evolving over time, with newer variants boasting special features that go beyond merely running ROMs on vintage hardware.
Krikzz's range of EverDrive carts is a good example of this iterative process; the Ukrainian engineer and modder is a seasoned veteran in this part of the industry, having produced some of the earliest (and best) flash carts in the business.
Now, Krikzz is fine-tuning his products with newer versions, and the $134 EverDrive GB X7 is an update of the existing Game Boy / Game Boy Color flash cart solution.
I've been using the original EverDrive GB for almost a decade now, and it has proven to be one of my most reliable flash carts – but even then, there's still room for improvement.
The headline news with the EverDrive GB X7 – and one of the main reasons I was so keen to try it out – is the ability to create and load save states from the cartridge itself.
This won't be a big deal to those of you who predominantly play Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles on the Analogue Pocket, as that device has native save state support baked in.
However, if you're like me and love playing on original Nintendo hardware, the EverDrive GB X7 doesn't just make sense – it's utterly essential.
My gaming time is somewhat limited these days, so save states are non-negotiable for me. When I game for pleasure, I'm looking at short bursts – so short, in fact, that I couldn't even complete a small game like Super Mario Land in one sitting.
With the EverDrive GB X7, I can split these titles up into bite-sized chunks. Creating a save state is as simple as pushing the button on the top edge of the cartridge – this brings up a special menu where you can save and load states.
There are some caveats to consider; creating a save state in the middle of a level can sometimes produce unwanted effects, such as music not playing properly or the game crashing.
It's best, as a rule, to create them in-between stages, or in a pause menu. There are also some titles which don't play nicely with save states on the EverDrive GB X7, so don't expect this approach to work flawlessly with every single game.
Outside of save state support, the EverDrive GB X7 also boasts Game Genie codes and support for the MBC1, MBC2, MBC3, and MBC5 mappers. It also has an "isolated" real-time clock function, which allows games to have their own "copy" of the time.
The EverDrive GB X7 is available in transparent and black, but it would seem that Krikzz has plans to expand the colour options as I was sent yellow, aqua and transparent red cases, too.
If you're a fan of playing Game Boy titles on original Game Boy hardware and want to benefit from modern comforts like save state support, then the EverDrive GB X7 really is a no-brainer.
It's perhaps less essential if you're playing on devices like the Analogue Pocket – especially at over $130 – but at least with the EverDrive GB X7, you have the option to carry your progress between Analogue's handheld and other Game Boy-compatible devices.