How We Actually Review A Game

People ask how long we spend with a game before writing. The honest answer is: until we have something real to say. Usually that's several hours minimum, more for anything with a story or progression.

We test on at least two phones, one older and one recent, to see how a game scales. We watch the battery meter, note the temperature, and dig through every settings screen. Menus tell you a lot about how much a developer cared.

Then we just play, and pay attention to how we feel. Are we bored? Are we reaching for it later without meaning to? That gut check matters as much as any checklist.

Only then does a rating get attached, and it's the editors' call alone. No developer sees it early, and nobody can nudge it. That's the whole point of doing this ourselves.