Iron Tide Command

Iron Tide Command is a slower, thinkier game where you command fleets across a contested sea. Turns unfold as you plan routes, cut off supply lines, and decide when to commit your best ships. It rewards patience and punishes greed, which we loved.

The interface is dense at first but the tutorial eases you in well. Once you understand fog of war and how positioning wins battles, matches become tense little chess games. On a tablet especially it shines.

It's not for everyone — if you want instant action, look elsewhere. But for a strategy fix that fits in your pocket, it's one of the smarter designs we've played this year.

What we liked

• Deep tactical map play
• Rewards planning over speed
• Great on larger screens