Iron Tide Command

Iron Tide Command asks you to defend and expand a chain of island holdings, and it's smart enough to punish you for ignoring logistics. Rushing units forward without a supply chain leaves them stranded, which forced me to actually plan rather than steamroll. That's a nice change of pace for a mobile strategy title.

The interface is dense but readable once you settle in, and pinch-to-zoom on the campaign map works without fighting you. Battles play out in short real-time skirmishes you can pause and issue orders in, so it stays manageable on a phone even when things get hairy.

The campaign difficulty ramps steeply around the fourth region, and I had to replay a couple of missions. If you enjoy losing and learning, that's a feature. If you want a chill time, look elsewhere — this one wants your attention.

What we liked

• Supply lines that genuinely matter
• Pausable real-time skirmishes
• Readable maps built for touch