Tidewardens

Tidewardens takes the big ideas of a strategy game and trims them down so a match fits into ten minutes. You place defences across a cluster of islands, manage a handful of resources, and send out ships to pressure your opponent. The economy is tight, which forces real decisions rather than mindless expansion.

We appreciated that matches end before they overstay their welcome. The AI puts up a decent fight, and the handful of commander abilities give each run a slightly different flavour. The interface is clean, with no hidden menus buried three taps deep.

It's not the prettiest game on this list, but the depth per minute is excellent. If you like thinking ahead, this one rewards it.

What we liked

• Deep tactics in short matches
• Tense resource management
• Clean, uncluttered interface