Tideborn Command

Tideborn Command is the kind of strategy game you play with a notebook nearby. You run a small island network, set up shipping lanes, and balance growth against the raiders who show up when you get too fat and happy. There's a satisfying tension between expanding and staying defensible.

Combat is resolved more through preparation than reflexes, which I appreciate on a touchscreen. You scout, you position escorts, and then you watch your plan either hold or fall apart. Losing a convoy stings in a good way.

The tutorial is a bit stingy and the early economy curve is steep, so give it an hour before you judge it. Once it clicks, it's a genuinely thoughtful pocket strategy game that respects your time between sessions with its pause-anywhere design.

What we liked

• Deep economic planning
• Tense convoy defense
• Pause and resume anytime