Hola! It’s Briony again, from the Digital Team. With Accessibility Week upon us, I thought I’d take the time to highlight some of the most accessible videogames out there in 2020, after all, gaming is for everyone. The games mentioned below are some of mine or my colleague favourites, and several of them have actually won awards for their accessibility options too. Whether you find a game you want to try here, or you’ve already played them all, why not drop us a follow/like on our social medias @bfc_lr? I’ll be updating it with more game content regularly. Let’s crack on!
Hades (Available on Xbox Game Pass)
Hades is an awesome rogue-like dungeon crawler, where you play as the prince of the underworld, trying to escape. Hack and slash your way to freedom, collecting rewards along the way and running into a wide breadth of characters. If you’re a huge mythology nerd like me, specifically ancient Greek mythology, you’ll love this! Not only is it an awesome game all round, but you can alter the settings to make the game more accessible if needed; change the type of damage you take, use screen readers, or enable sounds to help aid you in finding your way out. If you need a helping hand, Hades has you covered!
Platforms:
PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date:
17th September 2020
Age Rating:
PEGI 12+
IGN Rating:
9/10
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (!!PEGI 18+!!)
Now, anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Actually, the Assassin’s Creed series is one of my favourite videogame series there is (although in my opinion Unity and Syndicate were questionable). Not only is it a great game, where you go about living the true vikingr life, but it has loads of accessibility options for players too and has even won an accessibility award. It features the usual difficulty varieties, alongside eye-tracking support, narrated menus, and even colourblind modes. In addition to this, there’s plenty of other options further in the settings to tinker with to your heart’s content. So go raid the shores of England! You won’t regret it.
Platforms:
Luna, PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5
Release Date:
10th November 2020
Age Rating:
PEGI 18+
IGN Rating:
8/10
The Last of Us Part 2 (!!M FOR MATURE!!)
There’s a reason why everyone is raving about The Last of Us Part 2, and that’s because it’s an incredible game. From what I’ve heard anyway, I haven’t played it myself... I’m an Xbox gal. BUT, I can appreciate the accessibility choices that this game provides, and there’s a reason why it won TWO accessibility awards in 2020. The Last of Us Part 2 offers some of the most in-depth accessibility tools the game industry has ever seen, including text-to-speech, vibration cues, and even an on-demand arrow that can point your character directly towards its next objective. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, in total there’s over 60 different accessibility settings, to ensure everyone gets the most out of the game. So, if you’re over 18 what are you waiting for? Go play it!
Platforms:
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Release Date:
19th June 2020
Age Rating:
M for Mature
IGN Rating:
10/10
The Outer Worlds (Available on Xbox Game Pass !!PEGI 18+!!)
Another accessibility award winner is The Outer Worlds; yet another brilliant game if I do say so myself. The Outer Worlds is a Sci-Fi RPG that allows you to explore outer space, the worlds within it, and the factions that are fighting for control. And not only this, but it’s also got some of the most disability-conscious mechanics in the gaming industry. Text is easily readable/adaptable, something that it actually won its award for, and difficulty can be adapted to suit a range of playstyles. Players with visual impairments are helped through glowing indicators, and everything is so well labelled and displayed that those with auditory impairments should have no issue either. So, no matter what you may struggle with when it comes to less accessible games, The Outer Worlds should have something to cover you.
Platforms:
PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date:
25th October 2019
Age Rating:
PEGI 18+
IGN Rating:
7/10
Among Us (Available on Xbox Game Pass)
Among Us is the final entry on this list, but is by no means last, as the game also snatched an accessibility award in 2020. Now, if you’ve been playing Among Us recently (I see students playing this constantly) you may have noticed some small changes. For example, instead of just having colours to identify wires, the developers have now added shapes too; increasing accessibility for players who struggle with colourblindness. They’ve even started to display character accessories so people can tell each character apart with more ease. In addition to this, they’ve allowed players to customise the rules of the game themselves, to make it as simple or as complicated as they want, further allowing those players who need more accessibility more choice in their games.
Platforms:
Android, iPhone, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Release Date:
15th June 2018
Age Rating:
PEGI 9+
IGN Rating:
9/10
So, that’s it for another article! Go check out the games above (be wary of the age ratings though!) and let us know what you think over on social media @bfc_lr. Don’t forget to drop us a follow or a like, and I’ll be trying my best to respond to as many of you as possible. Happy Gaming!