Ironvale Siege

Ironvale Siege is the game I keep handing my phone to friends to show off. It's tower defence, but the maps are built around elevation and chokepoints, so where you place a tower matters as much as which one you pick. A cannon on high ground hits twice as far; the same cannon in a valley feels useless.

The campaign ramps up honestly. Early maps teach you a mechanic, then later ones force you to combine three of them under pressure. I lost one siege four times before realising I was supposed to let the front gate fall and defend the courtyard instead.

Upgrades are earned through play, not shortcuts, and the enemy variety stays interesting right to the end. If you want a tower defence game that respects your time and your brain, start here.

What we liked

• Terrain-driven tower placement
• Campaign that teaches before it tests
• Zero padding between good missions