Gaming

I don’t have huge amounts of spare time, probably one hour at a time a few times a week

Damn I don’t think I’d even bother with that kind of schedule, honestly. I’ve played most of them and I can’t think of any that I think I could’ve ‘properly enjoyed’ on that kind of schedule. Even the older games will take tens of hours and you’ll occasionally need to keep things in mind for later in the game (places to go check out, storyline bits, where tf to go next). I’ve restarted before because I couldn’t remember where to go next >.>

And these games are solid overall but they can have extended lulls and you’ll end up spending entire gaming sessions in boring parts lol

Hmm, your time limitation makes recommending one tricky. I don't think this one is on Steam or PSN but maybe Final Fantasy Tactics? Its battle system isn't like any of the mainline series, but it's a very solid entry. The story is good, if a little complicated, there are some memorable characters, and it was one of the last sprite-based ones so the sprites are as good as they'll get for the series.

Battles are a good deal longer than in your average Final Fantasy, but grinding random battles is much less frequent and more rewarding than in most games. You can probably do 1-2 battles and view their accompanying story events in about an hour most of the time.

I've only ever played the PSX version. Someone else may be able to speak for the quality of the iOS or Android ports.

Cut scenes take like 10-20 minutes. Some can clock in at almost an hour and FF16 broke a record at 71 minutes. I think you're going to hate it if you're so limited in time. JRPGs usually demand a lot.