Iron Frontier

Iron Frontier drops you on a hostile map with a handful of settlers and a lot of decisions. You lay out buildings, manage supply lines, and fend off raids that ramp up on a timer you can actually see, which I loved. No guessing when the next wave hits — you plan for it.

What sets it apart is that it doesn't push you to check in every twenty minutes. Progress ticks along, but the meat of the game is the planning phase, where you pinch-zoom around your colony and rearrange things. The interface handles a lot of information gracefully on a small screen, which is harder than it sounds.

Combat is the weakest part; it's mostly automated and you just watch. But the building loop is strong enough that I kept coming back. Good pick if you like thinking more than reacting.

What we liked

• Visible raid timers, no guesswork
• Clean interface on small screens
• Relaxed pacing that respects your time