What Is a Mock Review? How It Helps Indie Devs

A private, press-minded dry run that catches problems before players and critics do

A mock review is a confidential, pre-release evaluation written like a real review, but kept private so you can fix issues before launch or a major beat (demo, festival, big update). It’s not QA; it’s a holistic critique of the experience—how readable, smooth, and convincing your game feels in the hands of press and players.

Who it’s for

Solo devs and small teams preparing a demo, Early Access, 1.0 release, or a major content patch who want honest, expert feedback before the public sees it.

What you get

Press-style write-up summarizing the experience, strengths, and risks
Prioritized fix list (quick wins → deeper changes) with rationale
“Would I recommend this?” signals and likely player friction points
Store & trailer notes (capsules, screenshots, hook, first 30 seconds, messaging)
Optional walkthrough call to plan changes and next beats
NDA & confidentiality—nothing is published

How we run it (simple three-step flow)

Scope & access: You share a build (or Steam key), context, goals, and any focus areas.
Hands-on evaluation: We play like press would, capturing timestamped notes and clips.
Delivery: You receive the write-up and prioritized recommendations; optional call to align next steps.

What we evaluate

Onboarding & readability: UI legibility, tutorial clarity, controller/KBM prompts, camera
First-hour arc: pacing, early friction, fantasy delivery, clarity of objectives
Combat & systems feel: responsiveness, feedback, resource loops, difficulty curves
Level & encounter framing: signposting, puzzle fairness, fail-state recovery
Audio-visual cohesion: mix balance, iconography, SFX clarity, performance red flags
Market fit & messaging: hook, genre expectations, capsule/screenshot/trailer alignment

Example findings (anonymized scenarios)

Action-roguelite demo: Great core feel, but first-run deaths felt “cheap” due to unreadable enemy tells.
Fix: add a 200–300 ms wind-up animation + clearer audio cue; result is fairer difficulty without nerfing.
Co-op builder: Players missed the mid-game economy loop because the UI buried upgrade benefits.
Fix: surface % gains in the tooltip header and add a one-time breadcrumb mission to nudge discovery.

What it isn’t

Not public coverage, not a sponsored post, and not a press release
Not QA or code-level debugging (we flag symptoms and player-facing impact)
Not a mass-blast PR service—this is private by design so you can iterate safely

What we need from you

Playable build or Steam key, platform targets, and your milestone date
Any focus questions (e.g., “Is the early game too punishing?”)
Basic press kit items (logo, short description, 5–8 screenshots) and your store links
Known issues list (so we don’t duplicate noise) and recommended test settings/specs

Confidentiality & independence

Mock reviews are part of our
Fix Access — Developer Services.
They stay under NDA and are separate from editorial. Our news, reviews, and interviews on Fix Gaming Channel remain independent and unpaid. If a mock review later leads to editorial coverage, we’ll disclose relationships as appropriate.