Emberfall Saga

Emberfall Saga is the one that surprised me most this year. It's a proper turn-based RPG with a party system, gear crafting, and a story that actually bothers to develop its characters. You lead a small crew of scavengers trying to restore a city that fell out of the sky, and the writing has real personality.

Combat is the highlight. Positioning matters, elemental weaknesses matter, and boss fights force you to rethink your loadout. The whole campaign is downloaded up front, so once installed it never touches the network — perfect for a long flight.

My only gripe is the early grind before your party opens up. Push past the first few hours and it becomes hard to put down. Battery drain is moderate but noticeable during longer sessions.

What we liked

• Deep turn-based combat with positioning
• Full campaign playable offline
• Genuinely written characters and side quests