The Settings Menu Is Where Good Games Prove Themselves

I've come to believe you can tell a lot about a mobile game by its settings menu. A thin menu with only volume and vibration usually signals a shallow experience. A rich one with UI scaling, control layout and graphics options tends to mean the developers actually thought about different players.

The options I always check first: can I reposition or resize controls, can I separate music from sound effects, and is there any way to cap the frame rate. Those three decide whether a game respects my thumbs, my commute and my battery.

Accessibility settings are a bonus worth praising. Colorblind modes, text size options and the ability to turn off screen shake make games playable for far more people and cost developers little.

So next time you install something, don't rush into the first level. Open settings, tune it to your phone and hands, and you'll enjoy the whole thing more.