Tideborn Tactics

Tideborn Tactics asks you to juggle resources, build up a harbour town, and defend your trade routes from raiders. It's slower and more thoughtful than most mobile strategy games, and I mean that as a compliment.

The economy is the heart of it. Every ship you send out is a small gamble on time and cargo, and balancing expansion against defence gives the game a nice tension. The tutorial holds your hand a bit too long, but once it lets go, it opens up.

There's optional real-time defence when raiders show up, though you can automate most of it. Perfect for players who like planning more than reflexes.

What we liked

• Deep but readable resource economy
• Optional automation for the fiddly bits
• Relaxing pace with real decisions to make