Ashvale Wanderers

Ashvale Wanderers is the kind of RPG I end up recommending to anyone who misses the old portable Final Fantasy feel. You build a party of four, trek across a hand-drawn map, and fight turn-based battles that reward planning over grinding. The story takes its time but pays off once the second region opens up.

Progression is where it shines. Characters gain skill points you spend on branching trees, and the crafting system lets you reroll gear stats using materials from exploration. It never felt like a chore because the dungeons hide genuinely useful loot.

My only gripe is that the early tutorial hours drag. Push past them and you get a generous, fully offline RPG that respects your time once it trusts you with its systems.

What we liked

• Deep but optional crafting
• Thoughtful turn-based combat
• Works fully offline