Ironhold Tactics

Ironhold Tactics asks you to think a few turns ahead, and it rewards you for it. You move units across a hex grid, cover matters, flanking matters, and sending one soldier out alone will get them killed fast. It reminded me of the old tactics games I loved on handhelds, trimmed down nicely for a phone screen.

The campaign eases you in over the first few missions, then opens up with branching objectives and optional side skirmishes. There's a satisfying loop of upgrading your squad between battles. I did wish the zoom controls were a touch snappier during big fights.

If you enjoy slow, deliberate strategy and you don't mind losing a few times to learn a map, Ironhold Tactics will keep you busy for weeks.

What we liked

• Deep positioning mechanics
• Branching mission paths
• Fair difficulty curve