What makes touch controls actually good

We complain about controls constantly in our reviews, so it's worth explaining what we mean. Good touch controls aren't about copying a gamepad onto a screen — that almost never works. The games we love usually reduce input to something a thumb can do naturally: a swipe, a hold, a tap in a big generous zone. Big Bass Studio's casting swipe and Neon Drift League's tap-to-drift are both examples of designing around the screen instead of fighting it. The worst offenders cram tiny virtual buttons into corners and hope you have surgeon fingers. Every time we dock points for controls, it's usually this. If you're a developer reading this: bigger hit zones, fewer inputs, and let the game read intent. Your review scores will thank you.