XenoShyft vs Maracaibo Digital
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
XenoShyft
Defend your base from relentless alien waves in this cooperative deck-building strategy game. Coordinate with up to three other players to outfit your troops, plan your defenses, and survive nine rounds of intense combat.
- 1-4 player cooperative gameplay
- Deck-building mechanics
- Base defense strategy
- Strategic planning and coordination
- Inventive armor and weapon upgrades
- Beautifully illustrated universe
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The hit Kickstarter boardgame, now available on mobile! IMPORTANT: This app requires iPhone 5 or newer, iPad 3 or newer, iPad Mini or iPod Touch 5th generation or newer! Defend against waves of horrific aliens in this beautifully illustrated, base defense, deck-building game for 1 to 4 players! "One of the most fun co-op games I have played in a long time!" - Tom Vasel (The Dice Tower) "The enemies are just monstrous and difficult!" - Rodney Smith (Watch it Played) In XenoShyft Onslaught players take on the role of a commander in the NorTec Corporation. You're tasked with defending your division of the NorTec base as wave after wave of horrific aliens attempt to destroy the base and end NorTec's strip mining operation. Gameplay Features 1 - 4 players - Single player compatible, fully cooperative gameplay. Strong focus on coordination and strategic planning - to overcome the game's intense difficulty players will need to work together. Base-Defense with deck-building elements Incredible art - Illustrated by three amazing artists, XenoShyft features beautiful and consistent art. All of which creates one cohesive and frightening universe. Inventive and exciting armor and weapon upgrade cards - You'll need to outfit your troops with the best equipment if you hope to survive. Xenoshyft is a game for 1-4 players, with each player controlling one of the divisions of the Nortec military: The Science Labs, Med Bay, Armory, Weapon's Research, Barracks and Command Center. Each of these divisions represents one part of the overall Nortec base, and it is your job as Commander of these divisions to protect the base while its field operations are completed. You and your teammates will have to work together to survive the continuous onslaught of powerful alien threats and horrors – the goal of the mission is not to wipe out these threats, it is merely to outlast them! Survive through nine rounds of combat with these horrors and the base will have succeeded in its mission, and you and your allies will have survived to fight another day!
Maracaibo Digital
Embark on a swashbuckling adventure across the Caribbean. Upgrade your ship, complete quests, and battle opponents. Strategize with hundreds of unique cards on a dynamic board that changes each round.
- Interactive tutorial
- Solo play against Automa
- Pass and play multiplayer
- Campaign Mode with permanent changes
- Includes 'La Armada' expansion cards
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Play as an adventurer and sail around the Caribbean! Upgrade your ship, complete quests, and engage in combat. Every card you buy will unlock new abilities and bonuses to outwit your opponents. The board changes every round, and your strategy will have to keep up. Will you play slowly, buying as many cards as you can? Or will you race to the final space to catch your opponents by surprise? ABOUT THE GAME • Ranked in the Top 50 board games of all time • Easy to start playing, difficult to master • Strategize around hundreds of unique cards • Play on a board that changes every game FEATURES • Learn the game's rules with an interactive tutorial • Play solo against the Automa at 5 levels of difficulty • Pass and play for 2 to 4 players on the same device • Uncover the story of Maracaibo in Campaign Mode, where your decisions permanently change the board • Includes all cards from the "La Armada" mini-expansion! DOES NOT include Online Multiplayer features or AI opponents other than the Automa
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Maracaibo Digital at none against XenoShyft's 6. XenoShyft's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and price ($4.99 vs $7.99). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
XenoShyft costs $4.99 and Maracaibo Digital $7.99 up front. XenoShyft sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Maracaibo Digital asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.5 for XenoShyft against 3.5 for Maracaibo Digital. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 51 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of XenoShyft's written reviews are positive against 43% of Maracaibo Digital's.
XenoShyft ships an update monthly, Maracaibo Digital every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XenoShyft | Maracaibo Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (28 ratings) — better | 3.5 (51 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.8% of reviews — better | 43.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 51 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 504 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Twin Sails Interactive | Spiralburst Studio, LLC |
Customer experience
XenoShyft
Maracaibo Digital
Bugs and requests
XenoShyft
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Maracaibo Digital
Reported bugs
12 issues- App stuck in portrait/landscape orientation
- Game freezes or locks up
- Screen locked, half the game off-screen
- Cannot scroll down to see the bottom of the board
- Card drawing issues
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- Camera at the top of the screen during tutorial
- Game hangs after first automa move
- Display bugs on iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Cannot redraw cards after planning
- Game doesn't scale to screen consistently
- Cannot access buttons on the right side of the screen
- App doesn't work on iPad (portrait/landscape issue)
Requested features
9 requests- Add computer AI opponents
- Implement online multiplayer (real-time and asynchronous)
- Add undo/restart turn functionality
- Include a back button in the tutorial
- Improve handling of larger system fonts
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- Add content from expansions and promos
- Turn log feature
- Full screen on iPhones
- Option to hide notch/status bar
In-app purchases
XenoShyft
- Grafting Lab$0.99
- Psychogenics Lab$0.99
- The Hive Expansion$0.99
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- NorTec Elite$1.99
- Forbidden Sciences$2.99
- Dreadmire$3.99
Maracaibo Digital
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is XenoShyft free?
Is Maracaibo Digital free?
Which has better reviews, XenoShyft or Maracaibo Digital?
Do XenoShyft or Maracaibo Digital have ads?
Which is updated more often, XenoShyft or Maracaibo Digital?
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