Gridwarden

Gridwarden is a slow, deliberate strategy game and I mean that as a compliment. Every mission is a small hex-based puzzle box where positioning matters more than numbers. Move wrong and you lose a unit; move right and you feel like a genius.

The campaign eases you in with a handful of units, then slowly layers in terrain effects, line of sight and enemy types that force you to rethink your usual tricks. I lost a few maps and immediately wanted to try again with a different opening.

There's no energy timer forcing you off, which on mobile feels almost generous. You play a mission when you want to think, you put it down when you don't. That's rare and worth praising.

What we liked

• Pure tactics, no reflex demands
• No annoying energy gates
• Maps that beg for a replay