Ember Vanguard

Ember Vanguard is a proper role-playing game shrunk down for phones without losing its guts. You build a party of four, each with their own skill trees, and work through a story about a fading kingdom and the people trying to hold it together. The writing is better than it has any right to be on a free app.

Combat is turn-based and readable — you see enemy intents before you commit, so every fight is a small puzzle. I spent way too long optimizing my back-row mage and regret nothing. Grinding is optional, which I appreciated; the game respects your time if you play smart.

The one weak spot is the menu design, which buries some useful stats. Once you get past that, there are dozens of hours here.

What we liked

• Genuinely engaging story
• Tactical, readable combat
• Deep but optional character building