Why the settings menu is the first place I look

Before I even start a new game properly, I open the settings. It sounds boring, but that menu is the most honest page in the whole app.

A thoughtful options screen with control layouts, graphics tiers, audio sliders and accessibility choices tells me the team thought about real players on real devices. A bare menu with nothing but a volume bar usually warns me what's coming.

Accessibility options especially are a tell. Colourblind modes, button remapping and text size show a studio that wants more people to actually enjoy the game, not just ship it.

So if you take one habit from this site, let it be this: open the settings first. Five minutes there can save you hours of frustration later.