Frontline Cogs

Frontline Cogs asks you to defend and expand across hex battlefields using clockwork units you build and upgrade. It's a thinker — each map is a puzzle of positioning and resource timing rather than a reflex test.

I appreciated that the difficulty curve is honest. Early maps teach you a mechanic, then later ones demand you combine everything. There's an offline skirmish mode too, which is where I spent most of my evenings.

It can feel dense if you've never touched strategy games, but the tutorial is patient. Stick with it and the 'one more turn' hook sinks in fast.

What we liked

• Satisfying hex-based tactics
• Buildable, upgradeable units
• Offline skirmish mode