The menu problem in mobile RPGs

Mobile RPGs live or die by their menus. You spend as much time in inventory and skill screens as you do fighting, and on a small display that's where things fall apart.

The worst offenders bury important options three or four taps deep, or cram tiny buttons so close together that you're constantly hitting the wrong one. It turns a fun game into a fiddly one.

Emberfall Saga gets most of this right, keeping gear and skills shallow and readable. Its map screen is the exception, getting cluttered enough that I zoom in more than I'd like.

If you're studio-shopping for a new RPG, spend your first hour just poking through the menus. Combat rarely disappoints these days; the interface is where you'll find the deal-breakers.