Frontline Tactica

Frontline Tactica is the strategy game I keep recommending to friends who miss desktop tactics on the go. Battles play out on hex grids where high ground, cover and flanking all matter, and a well-positioned weak unit can beat a careless strong one. That's exactly the kind of depth I want on a phone.

The campaign eases you in with clear tutorials, then trusts you to combine mechanics on your own. I especially liked the fog-of-war missions, which force scouting and punish greedy pushes. Each map feels hand-designed rather than randomly generated.

My only gripe is that the UI gets cramped on smaller phones, with a few taps landing on the wrong tile during hectic turns. On a tablet it's near perfect. Everything else, from pacing to unit variety, is excellent.

What we liked

• Terrain and positioning genuinely matter
• Hand-crafted maps with real variety
• Deep but well-taught systems