What we learn about a game in the first hour

People sometimes ask how we can review a game fairly, and the honest answer is that the first hour tells us most of what we need to know. Not everything, but a surprising amount.

Within an hour you feel whether the controls are fighting you or working with you. You notice if the phone is getting warm. You spot whether the game respects your attention or nags you constantly. Those first impressions rarely reverse.

Of course we play far longer than that before writing. Some games open up beautifully after the opening, and a few fall apart once the novelty fades. The long play is where the final score gets settled.

But if you're deciding whether to keep a game on your phone, trust your first hour. If it hasn't earned a place by then, it usually won't.