Tideborn Command
Tideborn Command puts you in charge of a scattering of island harbours and asks you to connect them into a working trade network. The clever part is that every route you draw is also a route a raider can follow, so expansion always carries risk. We liked that tension a lot.
It's a slower strategy game, built for planning in short sittings rather than frantic clicking. You queue up ship movements, set defensive patrols, then check back later. The pinch-to-zoom map works well on touch, though we wish the tiny unit icons were a touch larger by default. Thankfully the settings offer a larger-icon mode.
Battery drain is low since nothing's constantly animating, which makes it a great commute game. The economy takes a while to click, but once it does you'll be sketching routes in your head on the walk home.
What we liked
- Trade routes double as risks
- Low battery use, great for commutes
- Scales nicely across screen sizes