How We Actually Test Offline Games

People sometimes assume reviews come from watching a trailer and reading a description. Ours don't, and I want to be clear about how the sausage gets made.

Every game gets installed on at least two phones, usually an older cheap one and a newer flagship, because performance can be wildly different. Then we play. The rule is a minimum of a few hours before anyone writes a sentence.

The offline check is the non-negotiable part. We flip airplane mode on and try to do everything the game offers. If a menu freezes, a reward won't collect, or the game just refuses to open, that goes straight into the review.

We also argue. A lot. Two of us can walk away from the same game with opposite opinions, and the write-up usually ends up mentioning both. That messiness is the honest version, and we'd rather keep it than pretend we all agree.