Step-by-step process for reviewing new games

I’ve reviewed over 100 games in the past few years.

Here’s my step-by-step process for reviewing a new game:

𝟭. 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧
Before playing, I focus on understanding the competition:
• Read user reviews in app stores
• Play 3-5 competitor games
• Take screenshots of key moments
• 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀:
—— Gameplay tempo – is it fast or slow?
—— Monetization strategies – how are purchases introduced?
—— Engagement hooks – what makes players return?
—— Strengths and weaknesses

𝟮. 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗖𝗘
Each playthrough serves a specific purpose:

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 (𝟭 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿) – Focus on the big picture:
• General feel – Does it engage from the start?
• User flow – How intuitive is it for a new player?
• Core loop – Do main mechanics fit together?
• Goals – Are short- and long-term objectives clear?
• Progression – Is there a sense of steady improvement?
• Gameplay tempo – Fast or too slow?
• Monetization – Do I want to pay and why?

𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 (𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀) – Dive deeper:
• Onboarding – Is the tutorial clear?
• Game mechanics – Do they evolve or get repetitive?
• Boosters – Impactful yet balanced?
• Level design – Does it introduce new challenges?
• Art and UI – Consistent and intuitive?
• Monetization – When offers and ads appear? What do they offer?
• Game balance – Fair resource flow?
• Technical aspects – Bugs or glitches?
• Social mechanics – Are they well-integrated?
• Narrative – Is it interesting and well-paced?
• Live operations – Which events and tasks appear, and when?

→ Throughout both sessions, I take detailed screenshots.
→ I also read user reviews here to confirm my impressions.

𝟯. 𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗬𝗭𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗦
Once the playthroughs are done, I review key metrics:

• Retention
↳ How well does the game retain players (Day 1, Day 7, etc.)?

• Engagement
↳ Average playtime, daily levels completed

• Onboarding completion
↳ Tutorial completion rate

• Level funnel and churn
↳ Points where players quit

• Monetization
↳ How is revenue split between IAP and ads? The distribution between sources?

• Difficulty
↳ Win Rate, game difficulty

• Game balance
↳ Currency sources and sinks

This data shows if the game meets benchmarks or needs changes.

𝟰. 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞
• No vague comments like “the game is too easy.”
↳ Instead, explain why it feels easy, e.g. “𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 1 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵.”

• Go beyond criticism, offer solutions:
↳ “𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”

• Provide examples from competitors

• Prioritize feedback by urgency, attach screenshots
↳ Helps developers have a clear roadmap