Players:
1 - 4
Publisher: Cool Mini Or Not
Year: 2017
Some games are about deception, subtleness and
stealth. Some games are not. This game clearly falls into the latter category,
with all it’s blood, guts and glory. Xenoshyft: Dreadmire puts you (and other
players) in the position of a CEO in a mining colony and above all else you
need to make sure the operation is completed, so you can harvest the profits.
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| The box |
Xenoshyft: Dreadmire is the second game in the
Xeonshyft series. It’s a cooperative defense game, where you and other players
work together to defend your base against an ongoing horde of monsters. These
can vary from nasty vermin to giant insects. Over the course of nine rounds,
divided into three waves, the players have to defend the base. If the base
takes too much damage, the operation is abandoned and the players lost. To
defend the base, players get Xenosathem, the fuel that is mined and which is
also used to pay for new, and better troops. Every third round, the difficulty
advances, as tougher enemies appear and stronger troops can be bought. As soon
as the third wave is over, if the base is still standing, the players have won
the game!
The goal of this game is to create a suitable
deck, by getting rid of your old cards and buying new ones. This is done by
distributing Xenosathem every turn, as well as any other you might have. These
go towards the troops or the equipment that you have available every turn.
While certain troops might be useful for a few rounds, as soon as the wave goes
up, they are outclassed and easily decimated. As soon as they have been bought,
the troops are placed in your personal lane. Next the monsters are placed and
the resolution start. As you don’t know what monsters appear, it could be that
the troops which you needed are in the wrong position or that the troops that
you wished to protect, are suddenly attacked. If the monsters kill all your
troops, any remaining damage is dealt to the base. If your troops get rid of
all the monsters, good job and prepare for the next round.
Influencing this all is the weather ability,
unique in the Xenoshyft: Dreadmire. This can help your troops, but also the
enemy. It might just be the buff you need to pull of the defense or it could be
that the timid horror changes into a rampaging nightmare.
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| The monsters in Xenoshyft: Dreadmire |
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| The troops in Xenoshyft: Dreadmire |
What’s great about this game is that it’s a
co-op deck builder. It’s not just that different people sit in their respective
corners and the only time they meet is when damage is dealt to the base, people
need to work together to survive. Different players might have different
bonuses or discounts, which are vital to survive. This can be achieved by
having players play in other people’s lanes, rather than just their own,
although it impacts down-time as well. Other than that, the artwork is amazing
as well!
While there is a ton of replay-ability in this
game, it sometimes feels a bit similar. It’s like the same, but different. The
cards are minor variations of each other, but not totally different. Perhaps it
could be just my personal preference, but we had a certain feeling of
similarity between various games.
Most outstanding feature
The artwork is amazing! The art is gorgeous and
every card is amazing to look at. They really blend in with the theme as well. There’s
a distinctive Horror/Science-Fiction vibe. At times it feels like the world of
Predator. It’s the artwork that carries the game and every enemy looks
frightening/amazing.
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| Some more artwork! |
Overall, the game is solid and it’s a great co-op deckbuilder. Every
wave the game gets more difficult and new troops need to rise to the challenge.
The question is, can you scale with it?
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