Originally published at: http://statelyplay.com/2018/04/27/xenoshyft-expands-into-the-dreadmire/
iOS, Android, PC/Mac •
I may be the only person who actually kind of loves XenoShyft. I mean, there are problems both as a game and as an app, but there’s something about it that keeps bringing me back. Not every day. Hell, it’s too difficult and soul-crushing to attempt daily. That said, I’ve played dozens and dozens of games since it released back in 2015 (winning…once? Maybe twice?) and it’s become something of a guilty pleasure.
Yesterday, Asmodee and Cool Mini or Not added a major expansion to XenoShyft called Dreadmire, and it looks like I’ll be suiting up for battle again real soon.
XenoShyft is basically a tower defense game in card form. You begin with a small cadre of rookies and are tasked with outfitting them, recruiting new units, and surviving long enough that your base is saved. The concept is simple, the card game is not. There’s a ton going on here, decision-wise, as you have to pick what to buy/recruit, equip your forces with what you could afford, and lastly line them up in the most strategic order even though you’re not entirely sure what aliens will be knocking on your doorstep each turn. Once you wrap your head around all the options and variables, however, it’s a blast.
Dreadmire is a standalone expansion for XenoShyft, which means you can play the game using only Dreadmire cards, or you can mix it with the existing XenoShyft material, making for a game in loads of replayability. From a new cards perspective, you’re getting a lot here: 6 Divisions, 20 Items, 8 Troops, and 48 Aliens. There’s also a new weather mechanism which includes a new set of cards and, while I haven’t played with them yet, I assume new methods of suffering.
XenoShyft is like banging your head repeatedly against a wall, but you keep doing it because you got sooooo close last time that, this time, you’ll succeed. It reminds me a bit of FTL in the sense that it’s another game I can’t win, but I keep going back and trying again and again and again…
I mentioned the app has some issues. They’re mainly in the UI. The game is presented as it would be on the tabletop and it’s a bit clunky to move about and quickly figure out what’s what. Once you figure it out, however, it’s not that bad, not to mention they’ve been polishing it for nearly three years now and it’s worlds better than it was at launch. For those of you craving multiplayer games, XenoShyft offers online multiplayer of the synchronous kind. I assume it’s synchronous. To be honest, I’ve never considered playing it anything other than solo, where it shines. If I want to play with my kids, I’ll pull out the cardboard version.
The Dreadmire expansion is available right now for $4 on all platforms. If you’re already a XenoShyft junkie, it’s a no-brainer. If you’re new to the game, try out vanilla first and see if it’s your bag. As the iTunes reviews will tell you, it’s not for everyone.
https://youtu.be/PQS0it9dt3M