Touch controls that don't fight you

Nothing kills a promising game faster than controls that fight your thumbs. I've abandoned gorgeous RPGs because moving my character felt like steering a shopping cart with a bad wheel.

Good touch design usually shares a few traits: generous tap targets, buttons that don't hide under your fingers, and some way to adjust sensitivity. Racing games like Neon Sprint live or die on this — a half-second of input lag ruins a clean corner.

Haptics matter more than people admit. A subtle buzz on a successful action gives you feedback your eyes might miss. Coin Strike uses this well, and it's part of why clean shots feel so satisfying.

My advice: spend your first ten minutes in any new game just messing with the control settings. Most people never open that menu, and most games badly need you to.