Ashvale Oath

Ashvale Oath is a proper role-playing game that somehow fits into short mobile sessions. Combat is turn-based, so you can pause mid-fight, put the phone down, and come back without losing your read on the situation. The party of four grows over a dozen or so hours, and each character has a distinct role that actually matters when the difficulty ramps up.

The touch interface is where a lot of mobile RPGs fall apart, but this one gets it right. Skills sit on a radial menu, targeting is a single tap, and there's an auto-battle toggle for the grindy stretches. Text is readable without squinting, and there's a font-size slider buried in the accessibility options that we wish more games copied.

Battery-wise it's middling — expect the phone to warm up during longer boss fights because of the particle effects. Dropping the effects quality in settings helps a lot and barely changes how the game feels.

What we liked

• Turn-based combat forgiving of interruptions
• Clean radial skill menu
• Story paced for short sessions