This app was mentioned in 11 comments, with an average of 1.55 upvotes
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smgstudio.otttd&hl=en
I found OTTTD scratched the same itch Kingdom rush did- it even has heroes and such. If I remember right, the only IAPs are just to speed up experience gain- kind of irritating in a paid game but I never felt the need to buy them.
Not a controller based game, but OtTTD is supposed to be pretty good. And Vector is fun as well at $0.99.
I listed a bunch of games that I really enjoyed here. Not sure the prices (since I own them and Google doesn't show me the price now), but they generally ranged between free and $3.99.
For gamepad play, emulation is a great option, and free for many emulators. Check out /r/EmulationonAndroid.
I like OTTTD
I'm a big fan of OTTTD.