Emberfall Saga

Emberfall Saga is the rare mobile RPG that respects your time without dumbing itself down. You lead a small band of travellers across a hand-drawn continent, and the story unfolds in short, readable chunks that fit a phone perfectly. The writing has a dry sense of humour that I did not expect going in.

Combat is turn-based but with a twist: positioning on a small grid matters, so you're always thinking about who stands where. It clicked for me around the third town, when I realised I could use the terrain to shield my healer. Fights are quick enough to squeeze in during a break but meaty enough to feel like decisions matter.

There's a real sense of progression here, and the character portraits are lovely. My only gripe is that inventory management gets a bit fiddly late game. Still, this is a genuinely good handheld RPG.

What we liked

• Smart grid-based turn combat
• Story told in bite-sized chapters
• Gorgeous hand-drawn characters