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Piko Collection returns to Evercade with a refreshed cover, 19 games, and one notable omission from the original cartridge.
A Familiar Cartridge Gets Another Spin
There’s a particular thrill in seeing an old cartridge return to production. It feels a little like finding a forgotten game box behind the television—only this time, the surprise is official, neatly packaged, and ready to slot into an Evercade system.
Сайт Piko Collection has now been reissued, complete with updated artwork and a slightly altered lineup. The original cartridge launched with 20 games in 2020, but this new version contains 19. The missing title is Magic Girl, a shoot ’em up that apparently hasn’t made the journey back.
The change is small on paper, yet curious in practice. Collections such as this are often judged by their full menu of games, and removing even one title can make longtime owners pause and compare editions. I’m not sure Magic Girl was the cartridge’s headline attraction, but its absence gives this reissue a slightly different identity rather than making it a simple rerun.
The Reissue Is Official
After a short period of hints and speculation, the return was confirmed on August 28, 2026. Evercade announced that the cartridge had come back from “legacy status,” using a refreshed cover design to distinguish it from the original release.
IT’S BACK!Piko Interactive Collection 1 is back from legacy status! This time, 19 great games return to Evercade, including the fan-favourite RPG Brave Battle Saga, and a little artwork makeover!
Available right now from Evercade retailers!https://t.co/fmgzyMGSqp pic.twitter.com/9laYTROXll
— Evercade (@evercaderetro) August 28, 2026
The cartridge is available through Evercade retailers. That matters because retired physical releases can become surprisingly awkward to track down, especially when a particular collection includes one or two games that collectors have been chasing for years.
What’s on the 19-Game Cartridge?
The lineup remains an odd, fascinating grab bag. This isn’t a collection built around one console, one genre, or one neat historical theme. It’s more like opening a drawer full of cartridges and discovering that every game has a different personality.
The reissued cartridge includes:
- Brave Battle Saga
- Canon – Legends of the New Gods
- Drakkhen
- Dragon View
- Dorke and Ymp
- Iron Commando
- The Immortal
- Jim Power – The Lost Dimension
- Nightshade
- Power Piggs of the Dark Ages
- Power Punch II
- Radical Rex
- Switchblade
- The Humans
- Tinhead
- Top Racer
- Exploding Fist
- Water Margin
- 8 Eyes
There’s a lot of variety packed into that list. Brave Battle Saga supplies the long-form role-playing adventure, while games such as Iron Commando, Radical Rex, и Jim Power – The Lost Dimension lean into action-heavy platforming and brawling. The Humans brings puzzle-solving into the mix, and Top Racer offers a more immediately familiar arcade-style driving experience.
My first impression of the original collection was that it seemed a little too scattered. There’s no obvious central hook beyond the Piko name. After spending time with the lineup, though, I began to see the appeal: it behaves less like a museum exhibit and more like a Saturday afternoon spent renting whatever looked interesting on the shelf. That unpredictability is part of its charm.
The Missing Game Changes the Balance
The most visible difference between editions is the removal of Magic Girl. The game was included on the original 2020 cartridge, but the reissue reduces the total from 20 titles to 19.
That omission is worth noting for anyone deciding whether to buy the new cartridge after already owning the first edition. The updated version offers the convenience of a fresh production run and a new cover, but it isn’t technically identical to the older release.
There’s also a mild downside here: reissues work best when they preserve the complete package wherever possible. Without a clear explanation for Magic Girl’s removal, the change feels unfinished. Perhaps licensing or another practical issue is involved, but that remains uncertain. Until there’s a firm explanation, the missing game will probably be the first thing collectors mention when comparing both versions.
For newcomers, the difference may not matter much. Nineteen games is still a substantial selection, and the cartridge retains Brave Battle Saga, one of the most talked-about titles in the set. For existing owners, however, the original remains the only version containing the complete 20-game lineup.
Why Evercade Collections Reach “Legacy” Status
The return of the Piko Collection also highlights one of the less glamorous realities of physical retro gaming. Evercade cartridges depend on both manufacturing and software agreements, so releases can eventually be retired rather than remaining permanently available.
When a cartridge enters legacy status, it leaves active production. That doesn’t necessarily make the games rare overnight, but it can push demand toward secondhand listings. Prices may rise, availability becomes inconsistent, and a once-simple purchase turns into a patient hunt through online shelves.
That cycle is familiar to anyone who collected physical games during the cartridge era. A title could be easy to find one month and mysteriously absent the next. The difference now is that modern retro hardware often depends on carefully arranged rights and limited production runs, making the lifespan of a collection difficult to predict.
Before the reissue announcement, Blaze Entertainment had already confirmed that a retired Evercade cartridge would return. The initial message was deliberately vague:
Something is coming… back!We’re delighted to announce that later this week, a legacy cartridge collection will be returining! Keep an eye out on Friday August 28th for all the news.
Wonder what it could be… pic.twitter.com/hRxY1Q2WZF
— Evercade (@evercaderetro) August 26, 2026
At that point, the obvious question was which retired collection would be chosen. The eventual answer makes sense, given the Piko cartridge’s broad lineup and the attention surrounding Brave Battle Saga, but the mystery still did its job. For a couple of days, every legacy cartridge was a candidate.
Other Retired Collections in the Running
The list of legacy releases included several strong possibilities:
- Namco Museum Collection 1
- Namco Museum Collection 2
- Atari Collection 1
- Atari Collection 2
- Piko Interactive Collection 1
- Piko Interactive Collection 2
- Technos Collection 1
- The Oliver Twins Collection
- Atari Lynx Collection 1
- Atari Lynx Collection 2
- Indie Heroes Collection 1
- Codemasters Collection 1
- Mega Cat Studios Collection 2
- Technos Arcade 1
- Atari Arcade 1
- Intellivision Collection 1
- Intellivision Collection 2
- Irem Arcade 1
- Sydney Hunter Collection
That’s a healthy spread of possible comebacks, and it explains why the announcement generated so much guesswork. A second Piko collection, one of the Namco sets, or an Atari release would each have made a convincing candidate.
Still, the Piko Collection feels like a sensible choice. It contains a wide mixture of games, its original release has been unavailable as an active product, and the return gives new players a chance to sample a peculiar slice of retro software without having to assemble the lineup one title at a time.
A Useful Second Chance, With a Footnote
Сайт Piko Collection reissue is good news for anyone who missed the original cartridge. It brings back a varied set of 19 games, preserves the collection’s most recognizable role-playing adventure, and gives the physical release a refreshed appearance.
It isn’t perfect. The removal of Magic Girl is a genuine caveat, particularly for collectors who care about preserving complete editions. I also admit that the new cover initially struck me as a cosmetic refresh rather than a meaningful return. On reconsideration, the artwork does serve a practical purpose: it clearly separates the reissue from the 2020 cartridge while keeping the collection recognizable on a shelf.
That distinction matters in a catalog where availability can change. Physical retro releases have a habit of becoming tomorrow’s “Where can I find this?” question. This time, at least, one retired cartridge has been given another lease on life.
The reissued Piko Collection isn’t the exact same package that appeared in 2020, but it remains one of Evercade’s more unusual and generous assortments. Would you pick up the 19-game version, or would the missing Magic Girl keep you hunting for the original?
ЧАСТО ЗАДАВАЕМЫЕ ВОПРОСЫ
- What is included in the Piko Collection reissue?
The cartridge includes 19 games, including Brave Battle Saga, Dragon View, Iron Commando, The Humans, Top Racer, Water Margin, и 8 Eyes. - Which game was removed from the reissue?
Magic Girl, a shoot ’em up included in the original 2020 release, does not appear in the reissued collection. - How many games were on the original Piko Collection cartridge?
The original cartridge contained 20 games. The reissue contains 19. - Why are some Evercade cartridges retired?
Physical production and software licensing arrangements can cause certain collections to leave active production and enter legacy status. - Is the reissued cartridge different from the first edition?
Yes. It features refreshed artwork and a reduced game count because Magic Girl has been removed.
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