Ashen Crown Saga

Ashen Crown Saga is a proper role-playing game squeezed onto a phone, and it mostly works. You build a party, poke through dungeons, and manage a skill tree that actually asks you to plan. The turn-based combat is snappy, with a timing element that keeps you tapping instead of zoning out.

The story takes its time. Early hours are a bit talky, but once the world opens up and factions start pulling at each other, I got invested. Character builds have enough depth that two players will end up with very different squads.

My main gripe is the inventory management, which gets fiddly on a small screen. Otherwise this is one of the more complete RPG experiences I've played on mobile, and it respects your save-and-quit needs.

What we liked

• Deep skill trees and party building
• Turn-based combat with active timing
• A story that grows on you