Ashen Vale Chronicles

Ashen Vale Chronicles is the offline RPG I keep recommending to people who miss the old handheld era. You control a party of four across a moody, hand-drawn world, and the combat is classic turn-based with a stamina twist that stops you from spamming the same attack.

The writing is the standout. Side characters have their own arcs, and choices in dialogue actually shift how a couple of quests resolve. It's not a huge branching tree, but it's enough to make a second run feel different.

Builds are where the depth hides. Each class has a skill web rather than a straight line, so you can mix a healer into a mage or make a tank that hits like a truck. Everything saves locally, and there's zero online requirement, which is rare for an RPG this ambitious.

What we liked

• Genuinely good writing and side quests
• Flexible class and skill builds
• Long campaign, all offline