Tide of Banners

Tide of Banners strips the bloat out of mobile strategy. You manage a small coastal realm, balance resources, and defend against seasonal raids on a hex map that fits neatly on a phone screen. There's no energy timer forcing you off, which already puts it ahead of most of the genre.

The pinch-to-zoom and drag controls are smooth, though we'd like slightly bigger tap targets for the unit menus on smaller screens. Matches are pausable and save instantly, so it slots into real life nicely. Because it's mostly static maps, it barely touches the battery, and it runs fully offline once downloaded.

It won't satisfy someone craving a sprawling 4X epic, but for a thinking game you can actually finish, it's well judged. We played a full campaign over a few lunch breaks and never felt rushed.

What we liked

• Fully offline, no energy timers
• Battery-friendly thanks to static maps
• Pausable matches that save instantly