What separates good touch controls from bad ones

The single fastest way for a mobile game to lose me is bad controls. Not hard controls, bad ones. There's a difference, and after years of reviewing I can usually feel it within the first five minutes.

Good touch design respects that your thumbs cover part of the screen. It puts important buttons where fingers naturally rest, keeps hit areas generous, and never makes you aim at a tiny spot in the corner during a tense moment.

On-screen sticks are a common trap. Fixed sticks fight you; floating sticks that appear where your thumb lands feel great. The best games also give you options, letting you switch between tilt and buttons or move the UI around.

When I review, I always play a few rounds one-handed and a few on the move. If a game only works when I'm sitting perfectly still with two hands, I'll say so, because that's not really a mobile game, that's a console game wearing the wrong clothes.