While it seems like deck-building games and cooperative games have exploded, the cooperative deck-building genre is still in its infancy. Only a few have been released in this genre. One of those was Xenoshyft: Onslaught, a game that I listed as one of the best games of 2015. When I heard about Xenoshyft: Dreadmire, I was intrigued to see if it would be able to hold up to the previous game.
If you have played Onslaught, then many parts of Dreadmire will feel familiar. Each player has his lane where troops are placed, as well as the opposite lane for the Brood, the enemies for this game. The wave and item dashboards haven’t changed, and you’ll still replace an item stack with a new one if it gets depleted.
Dreadmire doesn’t stray too far from the formula created from Onslaught, but some significant changes were made. The difficulty ramps up slowly in each wave, allowing you the ability to gain stronger forces before possibly going up against the wave bosses.
The setting has changed from sci-fi to a more organic swamp-like enemy. With this theme the new weather mechanic gets introduced which can influence the strength of enemies. The different division cards don’t affect the waves, but gives you a greater ability to acquire and use items.
Is Xenoshyft: Dreadmire a worthy successor? Then check out the video above.
Xenoshyft: Dreadmire
Designed by: Michael Shinall
Published by: CMON Limited
Players: 1-4
Age Rating: 14+
Time: 30-60 Minutes
Mechanics: Cooperative, Deck Building
Weight: Medium
MSRP: $59.99
While not working as a Database Administrator, Keith Schleicher has been associated with Gaming Trend since 2003. While his love of video games started with the Telestar Alpha (a pong console with four different games), he trule started playing video games when he received the ill-fated TI-99/4A. While the Speech Synthesizer seemed to be the height of gaming, eventually a 286 AT computer running at 8/12 Hz and a CGA monitor would be his outlet for a while. Eventually he’d graduate to 386, 486, Pentium, and Athlon systems, building some of those systems while doing some hardware reviews and attending Comdex. With the release of the Dreamcast that started his conversion to the console world. Since then he has acquired an NES, SNES, PS2, PS3, PSP, GBA-SP, DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One S, Gamecube, Wii, Switch, and Oculus Quest 2. While not playing video games he enjoys bowling, reading, playing board games, listening to music, and watching movies and TV. He originally hails from Wisconsin but is now living in Michigan with his wife and sons.
Xenoshyft: Dreadmire makes several improvements over its predecessor to streamline the experience. The rules changes make it feel more beatable, but it will still put you through the ringer. The new setting isn't bad, but if you are a purist you might be disappointed. If you liked Onslaught, then Dreadmire is an instant purchase.
PROS
- Streamlined rules
- Can integrate with Onslaught
- Everyone involved in each decision
- Solo play
CONS
- Less appealing theme
- Poor box insert
- Small card text
See below for our list of partners and affiliates:
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
