Tide and Tower

Tide and Tower is a strategy game where you defend a shoreline settlement by digging channels, placing towers, and steering incoming waves away from your people. It's slower and more thoughtful than most tower games, and it rewards planning two or three waves ahead.

The touch controls are the standout. Dragging a river channel feels tactile, and pinch-zoom lets you check the whole map before committing. Nothing important hides behind tiny buttons, which matters when you're playing on a train.

I liked that failure never felt cheap. When a wave broke through, I could usually point to the exact placement mistake I made. That's the sign of a strategy game that trusts you.

What we liked

• Satisfying drag-to-build controls
• Fair, readable difficulty
• Great for short planning sessions