Image taken from Broke Studio
There is a new NES homebrew that has a feature that most people never even thought was possible on a NES. In fact most people probably (myself included) never even thought about the possibility that a NES game could be played online and get DLC updates just from a cartridge. Though this concept isn’t entirely new as the Super Everdrive actually already has that functionality via USB connection to a PC (I may go into this later in a different article). Of course this isn’t possible without some new hardware being added to a cartridge that wasn’t present on original NES cartridges whether it’s a connection port of some sort or a whole new chip that allow’s wi-fi compatibility. Super Tilt Bro. has the latter. They included a chip that specifically allows wi-fi communication with a broadband router. As far as I know a PC is not required, it just interfaces directly with the router and then connects to a server where other players can be found to play with. The same concept is used to download new content such as new characters to play with which is then saved onto the cartridge the same way a game save is stored (I assume). So now that you’ve been blown away by that revelation and have recovered the next thing you would be wondering is what kind of game it actually is. Just look at the name and you could probably guess… it’s based on the idea of a Super Smash Bros. 8 bit de-make. Only it has it’s own unique characters, it doesn’t copy or have any of the characters you will find in the Super Smash Bros series.
Image taken from Broke Studio
Going back to the origins of the game it initially was released as just a two player vs. brawler like SSB was. Back in 2018 the first iteration of this game was released it was only later, after the game was released that the creator had the idea to implement online functionality. It started off with the most humble of beginnings with the first version, it’s first run of cartridges was only 9 cartridges which were crafted at home in true homebrew tradition. As the game started to get more popular production increased to meet demand, initially only being released in French to cater for local gamers and appearing at local game shows. From there production increased again and the game was released in English and shipped all around the world after which the creator began thinking about version 2. Using what he learned from production of the first version of the game the creator now had the skills and knowledge to take the concept further. It was programmed in assembly language which is the most direct way to program games as it communicates directly with the hardware without any intermediary steps that are needed when coding using programming languages. The concept was first proven by by having gamers test it on emulator with the online functionality integrated into the prototype ROM. After a period of testing the concept proved solid enough to take it to the next step which was to have it working on real hardware.
Image taken from Broke Studio
Having working prototypes of the game using Wi-Fi functionality a kickstarter campaign was started in April of 2023 to raise funds to manufacture and produce a run of cartridges with the new chipset allowing online game interaction. Using assembly coding it was possible for the creator to integrate a ESP8266 Wi-Fi chipset into the cartridge PCB and use an FPGA to allow communications between the NES and the Wi-Fi chip. I believe the kickstarter campaign begun in April 2023 and ended in March 2024 with the first shipments of completed game being sent out in June of 2024. The good news is that you can still purchase this game. Unlike most homebrew games that sell out almost instantly after physical cartridge production begins, they made enough units to cater for demand so that it’s still available nearly a year after it was officially released for sale. The game costs €55.00 and priority international post (7-10 days) costs a further €15.60 which totals €70.60 (around $125 AU). Relevant links posted below.
Super Tilt Bro. Kickstarter Campaign Webpage
Purchase Super Tilt Bro. Boxed Nintendo NES Cartridge from Homebrew Factory
