Ember of the Hollow

Ember of the Hollow is the kind of RPG I used to love on handhelds. You build a small party, explore a hand-drawn map, and fight through turn-based battles that reward planning over button mashing. It downloads once and never asks for a connection again.

The writing is better than it needs to be. Side characters have actual arcs, and a few choices genuinely changed how a questline ended for me. Combat gets properly tactical by the midgame once you start combining elemental skills.

My only gripe is a slow opening hour. Push past it and you've got a 20-plus hour adventure that fits in your pocket.

What we liked

• Deep turn-based combat
• Strong writing and choices
• Long campaign, fully offline