Tidehold Command

Tidehold Command puts you in charge of a coastal settlement and asks you to balance expansion against defense. What sets it apart from the usual mobile strategy crowd is how much geography matters. Building on high ground gives real bonuses, and cutting an enemy's supply road can win a battle before it starts.

Matches play out slower than a typical tap-fest, which we appreciated. You have time to scout, position, and commit, and rushing usually gets you punished. The tutorial is a touch long, but by the end you understand every system, and that pays off in the campaign missions where the AI plays smart.

There's a multiplayer mode too, though we spent most of our time in the single-player campaign. It's the rare mobile strategy game that feels like it was designed by people who play strategy games.

What we liked

• Terrain and supply lines that genuinely change tactics
• A campaign that teaches through smart mission design
• Slower pacing that rewards planning