Ember Vale Chronicles

Ember Vale Chronicles is the kind of RPG I keep hoping to find on mobile. It has a proper storyline, a party you build over time, and turn-based battles that reward thinking a couple of moves ahead. The whole campaign lives on your device, so no server issues ever get in the way.

Combat leans on elemental matchups and positioning. You'll swap gear, learn skills from a branching tree, and figure out which party members cover each other's weaknesses. It's not brutally hard, but the later dungeons made me stop and plan.

The art is hand-drawn and warm, and the writing has more personality than most mobile RPGs bother with. I put around fifteen hours in before hitting the main ending, and there's optional content past that.

What we liked

• Full offline campaign with real story
• Deep turn-based combat and skill trees
• Charming hand-drawn art style