How we actually review a game

People sometimes ask how long we spend on a review. The honest answer is: until we've seen enough. For a short arcade game that might be a weekend. For an RPG it's weeks.

We play on a mix of devices, including older ones, because performance is part of the experience. A beautiful game that stutters on a two-year-old phone needs to say so in the review.

We note first impressions but never score on them. Many games start rough and bloom later; others front-load their best ideas. Finishing is the only way to tell the difference.

Finally, we write like we talk. If a mechanic frustrated us, we describe exactly how. Our scores are opinions, informed ones, but opinions all the same, and we'd rather you trust the reasoning than the number.