Always check the settings menu before you play

It's a habit I've built over years of reviewing: the first thing I do in any new game is open the settings menu. Most players never touch it, and they miss out on options that would fix their biggest frustrations.

Graphics settings are the obvious win. Capping the frame rate and lowering effects saves battery and stops overheating without ruining the experience. Many games ship on high defaults that assume a top-tier phone.

Then there's accessibility and comfort: text size, colorblind modes, control repositioning, and haptic feedback toggles. These aren't afterthoughts — for a lot of people they decide whether a game is even playable.

Finally, dig into the data and notification settings. Plenty of games hammer you with alerts or download large updates over mobile data by default. A couple of taps and you've reclaimed your peace and your data plan.