Emberfall Chronicles

Emberfall Chronicles is the kind of RPG that respects your thumbs and your time. Battles are turn-based and play out on a clean grid, so you can think through a fight on a bus without missing your stop. The combat gets surprisingly tactical once enemies start exploiting elemental weaknesses.

The real draw is the writing. Your party of four misfits argues, jokes, and slowly opens up over dozens of optional camp scenes. I found myself detouring into side quests just to hear more banter. The hand-drawn backgrounds are lovely too, especially the rainy port town in the second act.

My one gripe is the grind near the midgame, where a couple of story walls expect more levels than feel natural. Push through it and the final chapters are some of the best mobile RPG storytelling I've played this year.

What we liked

• Thoughtful turn-based combat
• A party you genuinely care about
• Gorgeous hand-drawn environments