Tideborne Dominion

Tideborne Dominion asks you to run a seafaring power one decision at a time. You build fleets, juggle trade routes and try not to annoy three rival factions at once. It's slower and more thoughtful than most mobile strategy, and that's exactly why it stuck with us.

The touch controls handle the map well — pinch to zoom, drag to pan, tap to issue orders — though some of the deeper menus feel cramped on small phones. There's an offline planning mode that I ended up loving, since you can queue moves without burning data or battery.

It runs cool and light because the visuals are stylized rather than flashy. If you want explosions it'll disappoint you; if you want to stare at a map scheming, it's great.

What we liked

• Thoughtful pace over flashy spectacle
• Light on battery and data
• Offline planning mode for commutes