Ashvale Chronicle

Ashvale Chronicle is the kind of RPG I keep going back to because the story respects your time. You start as a lone scout and slowly gather a party of four, each with their own skill trees and a personality that actually shows up in the dialogue. Battles are turn-based and lean on positioning more than button-mashing.

The whole campaign runs offline, and progress saves locally so you never lose a run when the connection drops. I spent a weekend playing it almost entirely on a train with no wifi and never hit a wall that needed a download.

Combat gets genuinely tactical by the mid-game, with elemental weaknesses and a stamina system that stops you spamming your best move. The writing won't win awards but it's warm and a bit funny, and that goes a long way over forty hours.

What we liked

• Deep but readable turn-based combat
• Full campaign works without internet
• Four distinct party members to grow