How we actually test a game before reviewing it

People sometimes ask how long we play before writing a review, and the honest answer is: until we hit the game's walls. For a short adventure that might be a single weekend. For an RPG it can stretch into weeks, because the good and the bad parts often only show up hours in.

We start by ignoring the marketing entirely and just playing on a normal phone, not some flagship, because that's what most people use. If a game only runs well on high-end hardware, that's part of the review.

Then we push at the edges. How does progression feel once the tutorial rush fades? Are there points where the game suddenly demands far more time than it did an hour ago? We take notes constantly, and those notes become the review.

Finally, at least two of us talk it through before a score goes up. Ratings are subjective by nature, and arguing about them keeps us honest. If we can't agree, that disagreement usually ends up in the text so you can decide for yourself.