Eclipse vs First Martians
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Eclipse
Lead an interstellar civilization to galactic domination in this strategic board game adaptation. Explore, research, build ships, and outmaneuver rivals through deep 4X gameplay. Choose your species and forge your path to victory.
- 4X gameplay (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate)
- 7 unique species with distinct traits
- Customizable star systems, tech tree, and ship designs
- Up to 6 players (human or AI)
- Asynchronous multiplayer with notifications
- In-game tutorial and manual
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Alliances are shattering, and hasty diplomatic treaties are made in secrecy. A confrontation of the superpowers seems inevitable – only the outcome of the galactic conflict remains to be seen. Which faction will emerge victorious and rule the galaxy? A game of Eclipse places you in control of a vast interstellar civilization, competing for success with its rivals. You will explore new star systems, research technologies, and build mighty spaceships. There are many potential paths to victory, so you need to plan your strategy considering the strengths and weaknesses of your species, while paying attention to the other civilizations' endeavors. Eclipse other civilizations and lead your people to victory! This is the classic version, which corresponds to the original board game. We're working on an implementation of the new version "Second dawn for the galaxy." FEATURES * Official iOS version of the 'Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy' boardgame * Deep and challenging 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) gameplay * 7 species with different strengths and weaknesses * Customizable star systems, technology tree and ship designs * Up to 6 players (human or AI) * Asynchronous multiplayer with push notifications * 3 AI difficulty levels * In-game tutorial & manual Eclipse received multiple awards: * 2011 Charles S. Roberts Best Science-Fiction or Fantasy Board Wargame Nominee * 2011 Jogo do Ano Nominee * 2012 Golden Geek Board Game of the Year Winner * 2012 Golden Geek Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Winner * 2012 International Gamers Award - General Strategy: Multi-player Nominee * 2012 JoTa Best Gamer Game Audience Award * 2012 JUG Game of the Year Winner * 2012 Ludoteca Ideale Winner * 2012 Lys Passioné Winner * 2012 Tric Trac Nominee
First Martians
This companion app enhances a board game experience by immersing players in the story of the first Martians. It offers hundreds of events and adventures, presenting challenges and obstacles through text and sound to create a compelling narrative.
- Hundreds of events and adventures
- Text and sound narrative
- Story-driven challenges
- Campaign mode
- Open world exploration
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This is a First Martians board game free companion app. You need it to play the game. It features hundreds of events and adventures for great replayability. Through text and sound, the app tells you the story of first Martians and challenges you with tasks and obstacles. Immerse yourself in the presented world. Built on the core of the award-winning Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the cursed island, First Martians: Adventures on the red planet pits players against the hostile Martian environment and a whole host of new adventures and challenges. The immersion experience is further enhanced with an integrated app that maintains the balance and challenge throughout . Players have the option of taking on the design as a series of separate games, in custom campaign mode in which each successive game builds on the last, or even an open world mode in which they are free to roam about the Martian surface and explore for as long as they can survive. WARNING: In order not to spoil your experience, do not explore the app if you do not intend to actually play the game.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: First Martians at Free against Eclipse's $3.99. First Martians also leads on rating (3.3 vs 2.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 11 months). Eclipse's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 33%) and ratings volume (48 vs 11). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
First Martians is free to download; Eclipse costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Martians holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 11 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Eclipse's written reviews are positive against 33% of First Martians's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Eclipse ships an update every 11 months, First Martians every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Eclipse | First Martians |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.4 (48 ratings) | 3.3 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.9% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 48 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 126 MB | 216 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Brettspielwelt GmbH | Portal Games |
Customer experience
Eclipse
First Martians
Bugs and requests
Eclipse
Reported bugs
5 issues- Game crashes during combat
- Saved games unable to be resumed
- AI gets stuck during turns
- Influence/resource management issues
- Graphical glitches and UI bugs
Requested features
5 requests- Randomize player and AI options
- Ability to see opponents' moves
- Option to adjust game length
- Inclusion of expansions
- Improved online multiplayer experience
First Martians
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Eclipse
No in-app purchases
First Martians
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Eclipse free?
Is First Martians free?
Which has better reviews, Eclipse or First Martians?
Do Eclipse or First Martians have ads?
Which is updated more often, Eclipse or First Martians?
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