How we decide on a rating, and why numbers are hard

People ask us about the numbers a lot. Why a 4.3 and not a 4.5? The honest answer is that a single number can never capture everything about a game, and we know that. But it's a useful shorthand, so here's roughly how we get there.

First, whoever reviews the game plays it properly. Not a demo, not the first ten minutes, but enough to have a real opinion. Then they write the review, and only after the writing is done do we settle on a score. The words come first, always.

We weigh a few things: how well the core mechanics work, whether the controls suit the phone, how it holds up over multiple sessions, and how much the design gets in the way of just having fun. A game can be brilliant and still lose points for a fiddly interface.

The number is subjective, and we're fine with that. It's one team's honest take, not a scientific measurement. Read the review and the number together, and ignore anyone who pretends a score is objective.