Tidewatch Command

Tidewatch Command asks you to defend a stretch of coastline against waves of raiders. Between attacks you plan: where to place watchtowers, how to route supplies, which villages to fortify first. Then the assault comes and you see if your plan holds.

The clever bit is that resources are tight, so every decision costs you elsewhere. I lost a whole harbor once because I overspent on walls and had nothing left to repair the docks. That sting made the next attempt far more thoughtful.

Everything works offline, and the campaign maps carry enough variety to keep the loop fresh. It's slower and more deliberate than most mobile strategy, which I appreciated.

What we liked

• Tense resource management
• Meaningful map-by-map planning
• No connection required