Tideborn Command

Tideborn Command drops you into command of a small navy and asks you to think in three directions at once: your ships, the enemy, and the sea itself. Storms roll in and reshape the map, currents drag ships off course, and fog can hide an ambush until it's far too late.

You issue orders through a slick radial menu that pauses the action, so it never feels twitchy in a bad way. Fleets take real damage that carries between missions, which forces you to weigh whether a risky charge is worth losing a flagship you spent hours upgrading.

It's dense, and the first two hours are mostly tutorial. Push through that and there's a genuinely deep strategy game here, the sort you'll be diagramming plans for on your lunch break.

What we liked

• Weather that actively changes your tactics
• Persistent fleet damage between missions
• Pause-and-plan controls that suit touchscreens