Tidewatch Command

Tidewatch Command is a tower-based strategy game with a nautical theme. You defend a stretch of coastline, placing units and upgrading them as waves of threats roll in. It all runs locally, so it's become my go-to for flights.

The difficulty curve is fair. Early levels teach you the systems without hand-holding, and by the midgame you're juggling resource timing against unit placement. I lost a few maps and genuinely wanted to retry them, which is a good sign.

My only gripe is that late levels can drag if you've over-upgraded. Still, it's a thoughtful little strategy game that doesn't need a server to function.

What we liked

• Fully offline campaign
• Fair difficulty curve
• Satisfying upgrade system