Why I only review mobile games I've actually finished

A lot of mobile coverage happens in the first ten minutes, because that's when a game is on its best behaviour. Tutorials are polished, the difficulty is low, and nothing has had time to get annoying yet. It's the least honest window to judge from.

Games reveal themselves later. The clever mechanic either deepens or repeats itself into boredom. The generous pacing either holds or starts nagging you. You only find that out by sticking around.

So the rule here is simple. Nobody writes a full review until they've played a real chunk, ideally to the end for shorter games. It's slower, and it means we cover fewer titles, but the notes are worth more.

It also makes the negative reviews fairer. If I say a game runs out of ideas, it's because I watched it happen, not because I guessed.