The controls that make or break a mobile strategy game

A brilliant strategy game can be undone by one bad decision: cramming desktop-style controls onto a phone. I've dropped games I otherwise loved over this.

Good mobile control starts with big tap targets. If I have to zoom in to place a tower accurately, something has gone wrong.

Drag-to-place beats tap-to-select-then-tap-to-place almost every time. Fewer steps means fewer misfires in the heat of a wave.

Pause as a first-class feature matters too. A clear pause button, right where my thumb already rests, lets me plan without panic.

When a game nails all of this, the interface disappears and you just play. That invisibility is the highest compliment I can give a mobile strategy title.