Review Indie Heroes Collection 4 (Evercade) - Dig Dug & Bomberman Mash-Up Murtop Is The Highlight

This fourth collection of "modern" retro games includes eleven different titles, all of which have been part of Evercade's free 'Game of the Month' initiative. These titles are made in a retro style for authentic retro hardware, which means they lack the pang of nostalgia but retain many of the same design sensibilities as your favourite classic titles.

Out of the games featured on Indie Heroes Collection 4, "Dig Dug meets Bomberman" arcade title Murtop is probably going to be the one people gravitate towards first. Also available on modern-day systems as a digital download, it's in a similar vein to Donut Dodo, which appeared on Indie Heroes Collection 3 and is an absolute blast. The gameplay is fantastic, and with over 250 levels to beat, it will keep you glued to your Evercade for ages.

Jane Austen's 8-Bit Adventure—a NES title with an unusual premise—is another highlight. It's a 2D platformer with an emphasis on exploration, and despite the rather basic visuals, it is pretty fun. Likewise, titles like StarSeed and Block Droppin' (both originally released on Game Boy Color) go beyond their primitive visuals to deliver enjoyable (if somewhat basic) experiences. The same could be said for GBC stablemate Soko Banana, which, as you'll no doubt guess from the title, a Sokoban-style puzzler with lovely graphics and a cute attitude.

As you move through the collection, the quality level does drop a little. Batty Zabella is an atmospheric point-and-click adventure for the Game Boy which feels like it could have done with being on slightly more powerful hardware, while Collie Defense is a (yep) Tower Defense game featuring cute pups but little in the way of deep, nuanced gameplay.

Nyghtmare: The Ninth King badly wants to be a Castlevania game and is pretty decent as long as you go in with low expectations, while The Curse of Illmoore Bay and Block 'em Sock 'em feel like they could have done with a little more time in the oven, despite offering some of the best visuals on this cart. Flea 2, at least, is a great addition for fans of the original.

All in all, Indie Heroes Collection 4 offers decent value for money when you consider how many games you're getting, but when you take into account that the stand-out inclusion, Murtop, costs a fraction of the price on other platforms, you might want to mull over that purchasing decision for a while before pulling the trigger—especially when you factor in that some of the other games are available for very low prices elsewhere, too.