When mobile strategy controls get in the way

A lot of strategy games are ported to phones without rethinking the controls, and it shows. Tiny buttons, overlapping unit selection and camera panning that fights your thumb can ruin an otherwise smart game.

The ones that work tend to simplify. Big draggable zones, long-press for details, and a clear separation between moving the camera and issuing orders. Ironvale Siege mostly nails this, even if its battle screen gets cluttered.

My rule of thumb now is to test a game standing up on a train. If I can't play comfortably one-handed with a bit of jostling, it's a desk game pretending to be mobile.

Developers who design for the thumb from the start always come out ahead. Everything else is a compromise you feel in every match.