


I'll throw out one more option, in case stealth and/or ninjas might be up your alley: Oh, and the XCOM games are playable with a controller. Maybe the first is slightly better from a narrative perspective, but it's not vital. XCOM 2 is better (and apparently a dollar cheaper on Steam right now for some reason), but it doesn't really matter which one you start with. Well, to an extent: it's looser than you'll find in other genres, but pretty standard for strategy IMO.

And XCOM is also one of the best strategy games on the market, while not being as overwhelming as 4Xes and having the narrative that OP is looking for. Starcraft is top-tier RTS, and while the multiplayer is not remotely accessible to a newbie the single player campaign definitely is. Click to shrink.Starcraft 2 single player is free? Wild.
