Iron Tide Command

Iron Tide Command asks you to manage fleets across a shifting map where weather and supply matter as much as firepower. It's slower and more thoughtful than the usual tap-to-win strategy fare, and it rewards planning several turns ahead.

The campaign missions each have a distinct puzzle to them — one is about escorting a convoy through a storm, another about baiting a larger fleet into shallow water. We appreciated that victory usually came from a clever setup rather than raw numbers.

It can feel dense at first, and the tutorial rushes a few concepts. Push through that first hour and it opens up into one of the more satisfying mobile strategy games we've played this year.

What we liked

• Rewards actual planning
• Varied, puzzle-like missions
• Weather and supply that matter