How we actually test a game before reviewing it

People sometimes ask how long we play before writing. The honest answer is 'until we have something true to say,' which varies a lot by genre.

For a short adventure like Hollow Lantern, finishing it once and replaying key parts is enough. For an RPG, we want at least ten or fifteen hours to judge pacing and grind. Casual collections we live with for about a week.

We test on more than one device on purpose. A game that purrs on a flagship can stutter badly on a three-year-old phone, and plenty of our readers are on exactly that older phone.

We also note the stuff that doesn't fit a score: how it handles interruptions, whether controls tire your hands, how loud the menus are. Small things that only show up when you actually live with a game.