Ember Hollow Tactics

Ember Hollow Tactics is the game I keep opening when I have twenty quiet minutes. You lead a party of four across a grid, and positioning matters far more than raw stats. Flank an enemy, use the terrain, and even a weak character earns their spot.

The writing surprised me. It's not a novel, but the between-battle scenes have real personality and the party members bicker in a way that made me care who survived. Progression is generous enough that you never grind for hours just to move on.

My one gripe is the menu depth in later chapters. Managing gear across four heroes gets fiddly on a small screen. Still, the combat carries it, and I've replayed two chapters just to try different party builds.

What we liked

• Grid tactics that reward smart positioning
• Party banter that's actually worth reading
• Fair progression without heavy grinding