Company of Heroes
One of the greatest RTS games charges onto iPad
$13.99 From Feral Interactive, feralinteractive.com
Made for iPad (2017 or later), iPad Pro Needs iOS 13.1 or later
You’d be forgiven for not being bothered by yet another game set during World War II. But when it’s Relic’s genre–defining strategy title, in a fine iPad conversion by Feral, then put any feelings of déjà vu behind you.
Of course, it opens with a beach landing, but this shows how well the squad–based mechanics translate to touchscreen control even if the open sand can’t highlight the best the game has to offer, which comes in the cover and flanking manoeuvres of urban warfare. Thanks to squad icons, there’s no need to select individual troopers, and a pop–up wheel makes giving complex orders simple.
A series of taps and drags on the screen round out the controls, and while remembering when to use two fingers or just one is necessary, this is only because new units and strategies are constantly being added too. Compared to the precision of a mouse this is a compromise, but three missions in you’ll be fluent.
Despite a “realistic” brown color scheme, there’s a good level of detail on display, with high–res models an optional download. The stirring music and some cinematic cut–scenes add to a tale of heroism that may feel out of fashion now, but slots in as an absolute classic alongside Band 0f Brothers. There’s little to beat COH on iOS outside Total War. But the best is yet to come, as Company of Heroes 2 is even better. We can’t wait! THE BOTTOM LINE. A quality port of an already great game. COH looks great and never lets up. IAN EVENDEN
EXCELLENT