How we actually decide a game's score

People ask what the difference between a 4.1 and a 4.4 really is, and the honest answer is: taste, backed by a lot of hours.

We don't use a spreadsheet of weighted categories. We play the game across several sessions, then sit down and talk about how it actually felt to play. The number comes out of that conversation.

A high score doesn't mean a game is for everyone. Harvest Hollow scores well because it does its gentle thing beautifully, but if you want adrenaline it'll bore you. We try to make that clear in the text.

The written review always matters more than the number. The score is a shorthand; the paragraphs are where we explain who a game is actually for.

If you ever disagree with a score, good — email us. Some of our best discussions have started with a reader telling us we were wrong.