Into the Breach

Into the Breach is a turn-based tactics game pitting mechs against giant insects, from Subset Games, which arrived on mobile years after its success on PC. The key feature of the game is its complete predictability – the player always sees where and how enemies will strike on the next turn, so the outcome of a battle can be calculated in advance if you manage to arrange your mechs' movements and attacks correctly.

This clarity makes Into the Breach an ideal candidate for a touchscreen, since each move can be calmly thought through without the pressure of real time, and tapping on map tiles and dragging units works just as intuitively as a mouse on a computer. Individual missions are short, but the game combines permadeath, a roguelike structure with procedurally generated islands, and a deep strategic layer based on combining the abilities of different mechs, so even after dozens of playthroughs it still offers new combinations and approaches to defending cities.

This is a paid title with no ads, and its mobile port succeeded without compromise – some players even find touch controls more natural and faster than keyboard and mouse, since all relevant information about the enemy's next move is visible directly on screen. Low graphical demands ensure smooth performance even on older phones, so the game doesn't require any top-tier hardware.

Why play it: Worth it for players who love well-thought-out turn-based puzzles with permanent consequences and appreciate that the game controls at least as well on touch as it does on a computer.