How long should you give a game before quitting?

Reviewing games taught me that first impressions are unreliable. Plenty of titles dazzle in the opening hour and crumble soon after, while slow starters like Ember of Vael only reveal themselves later.

My personal rule is three sessions. If a game still hasn't given me a reason to think about it when I'm away from the phone, it's probably not for me.

But I make exceptions for genre. Puzzles tend to show their hand fast, while RPGs and strategy games deserve patience through a rough tutorial.

If you're stuck on the fence, ask yourself one thing: are you playing to see what happens next, or just to clear a checklist? The answer usually decides it.