AltChar | Editorial Policy 

AltChar aims to bring you honest, insightful, and passionate coverage of the games we love and sometimes the ones we don't. We're a small team, which means every article, review, and feature reflects a real person's genuine perspective, not corporate PR buzzwords.

 Editorial Independence 

Our editorial content is independent from any commercial relationships. We don't let publishers, developers, or advertisers influence what we cover or what we say. If a game is bad, we'll say it's bad, regardless of who made it or who's advertising with us.

 What We Cover 

We review games across all platforms - PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile. We cover AAA blockbusters and indie darlings alike, because great games come in all sizes. 

Our Standards

Accuracy: We fact-check our content and correct mistakes promptly when they occur. If we get something wrong, we own it and fix it.

Fairness: While our reviews are subjective, we strive to be fair to every game we cover. We judge games based on what they're trying to be, not what we wish they were.

Respect: We criticise games, not people. We can be harsh on shady business practices or poor design decisions, but we always maintain respect for the developers, publishers, and fellow gamers.

Player-friendly: We're gamers just like you. When we see anti-consumer practices like predatory monetisation, false advertising, or review embargoes designed to hide problems, we'll call them out. 

Conflicts of Interest 

We disclose any potential conflicts of interest. If a reviewer has a personal connection to a game's developer, which never happened at AltChar, or has any other relationship that might affect their perspective, we'll mention it.

Community Engagement

We invite discussion. If you disagree with one of our reviews, that's totally fine; we get it. Reviews are subjective, and different perspectives are one of the things that make gaming awesome. We only ask that discussions remain civil and constructive.

Contact Us

If you have questions about our editorial policies, concerns about a specific article, or suggestions for coverage, please reach out to us via our contact form or pr@altchar.com. We're always listening to our readers.

   AltChar | Review Policy

At AltChar, our reviews are built on honesty first and foremost, and a genuine love for gaming. Every review you find on our site represents the subjective opinion of the writer who played the game. The review reflects their personal experience and thoughts on the game.

Our Review Philosophy

We believe that a game review should be more than just a number. Reading the thing is always more important than scrolling down to see pros, cons and final score. We see it as a conversation between someone who played the game thoroughly and someone considering whether to invest their time and money into it. Our writers approach each game with an open mind, playing until they see the credits roll before putting pen to paper.

While every review is subjective, we strive to score games as accurately and fairly as possible, considering both what the game promised to be and how well it delivers on that.

Our Review Priorities

When evaluating a game, we consider several key factors. Here's how we prioritise them:

1. Gameplay

Is it fun to play? It is the key question for every game. Gameplay is the heart of any game, and we examine mechanics, controls, challenge, pacing, and overall feel. A game can excel in every other area, but if it's not enjoyable to play, that will be heavily reflected in our review.

2. Story

Whether it's a narrative-driven epic or a gameplay-focused experience with minimal plot, we evaluate how well the story serves the game. Does it enhance the experience? Are the characters memorable? Does it respect the player's time and intelligence? Is the writing any good? All these factors will be included in our review.

3. Content

We consider the amount and quality of content on offer. Does the game justify its price point? Is there meaningful variety? Are additional modes, side quests, or post-game content worthwhile, or just padding?

4. Community and Consumer Practices

Consumer-friendly practices are more important in gaming than ever before. Aggressive monetisation, exploitative microtransactions, pay-to-win mechanics, and other shady practices will always be called out in our reviews. We believe players deserve to know what they're getting into before they buy the game.

5. Graphics and Presentation

While graphics come last on our priority list, we still have a high appreciation for visual artistry and technical achievement. We evaluate whether a game's visual style serves its purpose and whether technical issues impact the experience. A game doesn't need cutting-edge graphics to score well in our review, and stylised, creative visuals often impress us more than raw graphical power.

Our Scoring Scale

We use a 100-point scale:

• 96-100: Masterpiece —  A generational game that sets the bar for quality, and the one that will be remembered for decades.
• 90 - 95: Exceptional  —  A must-play experience that excels in nearly every area.
• 80-89: Great  — A highly enjoyable game with few minor flaws that don't detract from the overall experience.
• 70 - 79: Good  —  A good game with some flaws that prevent it from reaching its potential.
• 65-69: Okay — An okay game that some may find pleasing, though it has noticeable issues.
• 60 - 65: Average  —  An average game that sits between being okay and poor.
• 40 - 59: Bad  —  Has some qualities but significant problems that hold it back.
• 20 - 39: Terrible  —  Playable game with major flaws that make it a rough experience.
• 0 - 19: Broken  —  A fundamentally broken, unplayable game.

Transparency and Integrity

We want to be clear about a few important points:

Review copies: When we receive review copies from publishers or developers, we always disclose this in our reviews before we even start writing about the game. Receiving a free copy never influences our score or opinion.

Updates and revisions: Games can change significantly after launch through patches and updates. When major changes occur, like in the case of No Man’s Sky, we'll note this in our reviews and update our assessment.