Touch controls that don't fight you

Good touch controls are invisible. You only notice them when they're bad, when your thumb covers half the action or a mistap costs you a level. After years of reviewing, I've become weirdly obsessed with how games solve this.

The best mobile games design around the thumb, not against it. Keep the important stuff reachable, give clear feedback on every tap, and never punish a player for an input the interface caused. Ironline Command nails this despite being a strategy game, which is impressive.

On the flip side, tilt controls remain a gamble. They can feel wonderful in a racer like Neon Driftline and terrible everywhere else. My rule of thumb: always offer a button alternative.

If you're a developer reading this, playtest with one hand on a bus. That's the real test.