How we actually review a mobile game

People sometimes ask how long we spend on a game before writing about it. The honest answer is: until we've got something useful to say, which is usually several hours across a few days.

We test on more than one phone, including at least one older model, because performance that's fine on a new device can crawl on something two years old. We dig through every settings menu, note the control options, and watch how hot the phone gets during a long run.

Then we just play it the way you would, in short bursts and the odd long session. We look for the moment the game clicks, and the moments it frustrates. Both go in the review.

We don't score on a strict formula. The rating is our honest gut read after all that time, and we'd rather be clear and subjective than pretend there's a magic number behind it.