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Gaming as Anti-Anxiety

Hey friends, I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. Been struggling with health issues, and as a result my old nemesis anxiety has resurfaced a bit as well.

Aside from the many anti-anxiety medications available, which are effective but highly addictive and have side effects (the pharmaceutical industry generally prefers to make lifelong customers), there are several other effective methods of calming anxiety. Among these options are meditation, thought labeling (recognizing the anxiety for what it is), self-reassurance, counseling, deep breathing, yoga, magnesium, vitamin B12*, vitamin D*, CBD, essential oil aromatherapy (lavender, jasmine, lemon balm, and more), sound therapy and guided meditation, sunlight and nature therapy, and crystal therapy (blue calcite, smoky quartz, and hypersthene are quite helpful). Getting enough sleep, food, water, and exercise if you’re able to (I’m not) are also very important for keeping anxiety in check.

If you’re interested, I make relaxing sound healing music that’s free to listen to and download on my Bandcamp page: https://hearherenow.bandcamp.com/album/retrospect

Being around someone or calling someone that you feel comfortable with who cares about you is incredibly helpful when anxiety occurs; hugs, holding your hand, and helping distract you from your worries with good company, conversation, and laughter. As funny as it may sound, holding your own hand when no one is around can actually help too.

It’s important to do the self-work to recognize where our fears and worries stem from, to face ourselves fully without any denial, and to learn to offer ourselves the support that we need. As terrifying as it feels, facing our fears is the surest way through them. Anxiety is a mental program that can certainly be reprogrammed with effort and dedication, and we have the power to transform our mental and physical reactions from harmful ones to beneficial ones through mindfulness and neural plasticity (the ability to “rewire” our brains).

Another effective way to refocus a worried mind is to play calming video games. I’ve put together a list of the most relaxing games that I’m familiar with, and it’s my sincere hope that they’ll help you find temporary solace from your worries when they feel overwhelming. Several of these games have helped me through some anxious times in my life, and I’m very grateful to the developers for making them.

A Short Hike Alpaca Stacka Animal Crossing series Astroneer Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Cloudpunk Cozy Grove Cruis’n USA & Cruis’n World Dark Cloud Day of the Tentacle Dorfromantik Dragon Quest Builders 1 & 2 Eastshade Flower Firewatch Gone Home Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series Islanders Journey Kingdom: Two Crowns Minecraft (especially peaceful and creative modes) My Time at Portia Night in the Woods No Man’s Sky (you may occasionally land on some planets with extreme temperatures, radiation, and storms) Okami Persona 4 Pokémon Snap & New Pokémon Snap Portal 1 & 2 Proteus Rime Rune Factory series Secret of Monkey Island series Shelter 1, 2, & Generations Slime Rancher 1 & 2 Snowrunner Spiritfarer Stardew Valley Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 Terraria (bosses can be stressful but most require specific items to spawn in the world, so you can avoid spawning them when feeling stressed) The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (dragon battles can be a little intense, but can largely be avoided, and only a few are required to complete the game; bringing NPC companions along helps a lot with tougher battles too) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (avoid confronting Guardians and Lynels as these battles can be stressful) The Outer Wilds The Sims series The Witness Untitled Goose Game Viva Piñata series Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles

You are not alone my friend. Feel the community around you and the ground beneath your feet supporting you. You are understood, you are loved, and you are stronger than you realize. * Note that deficiencies in either vitamin D or B12 can result in anxiety and depression, but taking too much of either can cause problems as well. Getting sunlight or taking cod liver oil is more natural and generally preferable to supplementing with Vitamin D. There are 4 forms of vitamin B12 and finding the right one for you requires some research and a little bit of trial and error to find the best form for your body; you can absolutely ask your doctor about this, but from my experience most GP’s aren’t terribly knowledgeable about vitamins (a functional or integrated medicine doctor, naturopath, or nutritionist will usually be a more reliable resource). Taking too much B12 or a form that your body doesn’t need may actually result in some anxiety, so proceed gently. As with any supplement, always start with a low dose.

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at:  https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/gaming-as-anti-anxiety-c1454efc7082

[ablegaming]

Dark Souls Remastered accessibility review

Game title: Dark Souls Remastered

Platform(s): Windows, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, remote play on phone, tablet, or TV (through Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One) Originally released on: Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portugese, Russian, Spanish, and traditional and simplified Chinese

Age rating: ESRB M, PEGI 16

Genre/theme: Dark fantasy action RPG; your character makes use of melee weapons, bows, shields, magic, miracles, and pyromancy to take down hordes of monsters, dragons, undead, and powerful bosses in the bleak lands of Lordran. Leveling up, learning new skills, improving the estus flask, and kindling bonfires are essential to survival and success in this medieval netherworld.

Violence: Heavy; adding a macabre comedic effect to the game, corpses have ridiculous ragdoll physics and can be flung around as if they hardly weigh anything, sometimes getting stuck on your foot and dragged around like toilet paper, sometimes getting stuck glitching out in a wall. There is a fair amount of blood spray from attacks which can be turned off in the Options menu, though limb and tail dismemberment during battle will still occur with enemies and bosses. Note that intentionally or accidentally killing NPCs and merchants results in permanent death for their character, and you losing access to their services.

Maturity: Partial nudity. No sexuality, swearing, or drugs or alcohol references. The dark nature of the world and the hideous creatures and boss designs are totally the stuff of nightmares, I wouldn’t recommended it for children, even with the blood turned off.

Phobias: Blood/gore: The Show Blood setting can be turned off in the Options menu. Dismemberment will still remain with this turned off (a couple of bosses have tails that can be cut off to be used as powerful weapons), but there will no longer be any bloodspray or puddles. Heights: Yes; you can fall from great heights to your death. Drowning: Yes; your character cannot swim and will sink immediately when stepping into deep water. This is avoidable if you look closely at the water, the land’s edge can be seen and carefully avoided. Sharks: None Spiders: Yes; Chaos Witch Quelaag is half-human and half-spider, and has spider legs. Defeating this boss is required to progress through the main story. Underwater: None

Multiplayer: Online multiplayer supports up to 6 players on a dedicated server, multiplayer can be played cooperatively or player-vs-player. There is no local split-screen multiplayer mode. Note that when playing online your world is open to be invaded, so if you prefer to avoid having a random online player load into your world and murder you then you may want to play the game in offline mode. Online players can leave messages on the ground for players to see in their game world; these can be a mix of helpful, funny, and the opposite of helpful (leading you to your death), so read them with discretion. Gestures can be used to communicate with players online, either in a helpful way or to tease/taunt in player-vs-player.

To play cooperatively online you will need to obtain the White Sign Soapstone item from Solaire (in Undead Burg) by either saying yes to his first two requests or by killing him and taking it. Place the White Sign Soapstone in one of your item slots and then you can press the use-item button to leave a cooperative summon sign on the ground in the location that you need help completing.

You can also play cooperatively with friends online by setting the same network password and then leaving a summon sign. I have not done this myself, and from my understanding neither player can have already beaten the boss you’re taking on together, so they must be at the same point in the story. Note that The Great Hollow, Ash Lake, Dragon Valley, Undead Asylum, and the final boss cannot be played cooperatively.

To play competitively online you must find and use a Cracked Red Eye Orb, which allows you to invade the world of a random player online. The game will load you near their location, and then you can find them and challenge them to battle (they don’t really get a say in the matter). The winner collects however many experience points (souls) the loser was carrying.

Difficulty modes: None; upon completing the game New Game + begins, rolling your character over into a new story playthrough with increased difficulty and also increased experience points. This can be done as many times as you wish to play through the main story at a more challenging difficulty level.

Almost every area has at least one summonable character you can call out to to help you fight through the area and the boss battle, some areas even have two or three summonable fighters. Make sure to keep Humanities stocked and use one to regain your humanity and reveal these summon signs, often placed near the boss fog doors. These fighters will aggro most bosses, taking the heat off of you and allowing you to sneak around and attack the boss from behind. Don’t be ashamed to make use of these support characters, as some of the bosses are extremely tough (*cough* Smough and Ornstein).

If you’re having trouble getting past a specific area or boss, leveling up will likely help. Spend a fair amount of time running through the same areas a few times in a row to collect experience points to use on improving your stats. Leveling up the Attunement stat will also unlock additional spell slots at certain levels for magic, pyromancy, and miracle users to fill with a learned spell.

One totally valid approach to the game is to walk or run past most of the enemies. Enemies will chase you if you do this so you’ll need to be swift, but generally you can avoid most enemies and just run through the level directly to the boss room, you’ll see this a lot in YouTube walkthroughs showing the path to the boss.

Complexity: High; Dark Souls is probably not the best game for anyone who doesn’t enjoy serious gaming challenges. It requires practice to master, and you absolutely learn from your mistakes along the way. There are many hidden paths and puzzles and you will almost definitely have to refer to a strategy guide or video walkthroughs once or twice (or a lot more than that). Thankfully there are a ton of useful videos on YouTube detailing the path to almost any item or boss you’re trying to find.

Certain rings and elemental weapons can be more/less effective against certain enemies and bosses, and this isn’t very well explained in the game, but you’ll notice for instance a fire weapon may not do very much damage against an enemy that seems to have high fire resistance. Finding the right gear and elemental magic to use can take a bit of trial and error, though many of the walkthroughs and guides available will mention these advantages/disadvantages. Inventory management is also a critical component of the game, and there are several blacksmiths and merchants you can purchase weapons, armor, and items from, and later in the game you can sell your extra items to Kingseeker Frampt (near the Firelink Shrine).

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: FromSoftware is not known for holding your hand or explaining things clearly in their games, so you’ll likely need to reference a strategy guide, walkthrough, or videos. The story is fragmented and filled with mystery, with bits of world lore to be discovered everywhere.

Choose the Master Key as your gift when starting the game; I can’t recommend this highly enough, it will open up several pathways and make navigating Lordran significantly easier. The controls are explained in a quick tutorial following your character creation at the beginning of the game, and can also be referenced in the “Button Settings” section of the Options menu.

Dark Souls uses a bonfire checkpoint system, where your character must reach the next bonfire to save their progress, return their character to full health, and to level up. The first bonfire you encounter (the Firelink Shrine) works as a central hub with many branching paths, and you’ll visit this area many times throughout the game. Bonfires can be kindled by using a Humanity and then offering that humanity at the bonfire, this increases the strength of the bonfire which allows you to refill your Estus Flask with even more healing charges (up to 20 maximum). Elevators and shortcuts can be unlocked to make travel from area to area quicker, yet this game does not have fast-travel like Dark Souls 2, 3, and Elden Ring, so prepare to do some walking and to learn the routes between areas.

Building on the success of the game design from FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls continues the tradition of collecting experience points from each enemy defeated, then should you get killed before reaching the next bonfire checkpoint your experience points will be dropped in the location that your character was killed. You then must make it back to this location to acquire the experience points again, otherwise they’re lost forever if you die again. Homeward Bones are very useful items to keep in your inventory, as they allow you to warp back to the previously visited bonfire without losing any experience points.

Note that there is no waypoint or map in-game, though maps can be found in the strategy guide and online. Menus are fairly straightforward to navigate and there are brief descriptions of each item in your inventory. You can also press the “Toggle Display” button to reveal even more information about items, and the “Toggle Status” button to check the status of weapons and armor. The Bottomless Box can be purchased from Domhnall of Zena (in the Depths), which gives you access to an infinite inventory and allows you to manage that inventory at a bonfire.

Two weapons, a shield, catalyst (magic spells), talisman (healing miracles), and pyromancy flame (fire magic) can be equipped to each arm, allowing you to carry a total of 4 pieces of gear that can be easily switched between with the press of a button. Weapons and armor deteriorate with use and can break, requiring you to take them to a blacksmith and pay a hefty price to fully repair them. You’ll receive a warning message when your weapon or armor is at risk, and you should switch to a different piece of gear or use a Repair Powder. I recommend switching between at least two weapons fairly regularly to avoid this when going through longer areas, as well as always repairing any damage your gear has whenever you stop by a blacksmith.

Weapons and armor are improved by collecting or buying Titanite Shards, Large Titanite Shards, Titanite Chunks, Titanite Slabs, Twinkling Titanite, and the various forms of magic-infused Titanite, and then paying a blacksmith to improve the stats of your gear with the required number of Titanite in your inventory. When you defeat a boss they will drop their soul as an item, which you should hang onto to use for boss weapon crafting once you meet the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo, who can do all of the advanced smithing.

Subtitles: Yes; subtitles are utilized.

Text customization: UI Scale can be customized, but only shrunk, there are are no options larger than 1.00X unfortunately. The HUD can also be turned off/on. The text is a small-medium size white font on a dark background, and is readable, but it would be nice if the font size could be increased. Note that the Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 Pro, and gaming PCs can run the game at 4k resolution, which may make text and the UI appear smaller.

Voice acting: None; only some grunting while jumping and swinging your weapon.

Volume settings: Music, Sounds, and Voice can all be set from 0–10.

Photosensitivity: Brightness can be adjusted in-game and set from 0–10. The glint of the light reflecting off of your shield isn’t particularly easy on the eyes, but with low brightness and contrast it’s tolerable. Some shields are more/less reflective than others and this is mostly an issue when holding a weapon with two-hands and keeping your shield stowed on your back.

Lightning weapons, lightning spells, and gold pine resin all make use of intense flashing lightning animations. I definitely don’t recommend anyone with medium-high photosensitivity attempt to play the game using lightning spells or weapons, though fire, poison, crystal, raw, occult, divine, chaos, and dragon weapons don’t create any flashing effects, but fire weapons and spells do have a flickering effect when in a dark area. Candles and bonfires have a slight flickering effect, and bonfires will blaze brighter with even more intense lighting effects as you kindle them. Thankfully the bonfire menu overlays and blocks the flame so you don’t have to stare into the fire while leveling up.

Certain enemies make use of lightning weapons and spells, most notably are the Titanite Demons (like the one near Andre the blacksmith). I don’t recommend sticking around these enemies or attempting to take them on until your character has pretty strong stats and gear. Once they’re defeated they will no longer spawn in that area and it will be lightning-free, so there’s some incentive to take them down when you’re up for the task, but their lightning attacks are extremely hard on the eyes, so avoidance and running away quickly may be your best option.

Both the Cloranthy Ring and the Grass Crest Shield increase your stamina recovery speed, and they also both create shimmering sparkles of light on your character for the entire time you have either item equipped; using Green Blossom will have the same effect as well, but only lasts for a short while. These are very useful items and I do recommend using them, playing the game with fairly dim brightness and low contrast will help lessen the visual impact. I don’t recommend focusing your eyes directly on the shimmering sparkles emanating from your character’s torso, but instead on the head of your character or just above their head, or focusing on either arm works just as well.

Motion-sickness and camera: Camera Speed can be adjusted from 1–10 for both X and Y axises. X and Y axises can also be reversed/inverted. Toggle auto lock-on can be turned off/on. Camera auto wall recovery can also be turned off/on. I recommend avoiding putting the camera sensitivity at a high level to avoid any potential motion-sickness, I didn’t experience it much at all with the sensitivity set at about medium.

The framerate is a smooth and steady 60 frames-per-second on PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, and gaming PC, but is noticeably lower on the Switch, locked at 30fps. The framerate on the base model Xbox One and PlayStation 4 aims for 60fps but can drop down to about 50fps in busy areas and battles. Comparatively, the framerate on the original release for the Xbox 360 and PS3 very rarely made it up to 30fps and could dip as low as 10fps, making for pretty slow chugging graphics.

Colorblindness mode: None; color settings can only be adjusted in TV settings.

Controller rumble: Yes; vibration can be set from 0–10.

Remappable controls: 100% fully remappable, all buttons can be reassigned.

Quick-time events: None; parry attacks require very deliberate timing to counter enemy attacks, but parrying isn’t required to beat the game.

Physical impact: Medium-heavy; can vary depending on what type of weapons you choose to use. Daggers, short swords, whips, and dual weapons require quick button pressing, whereas casting magic spells and fighting with heavier/stronger weapons like spears, hammers, and greatswords is much easier on the hands and arms.

Adaptability and input: Controls are simple, well spaced out, and can be fully customized. Many of the default controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable. Conversely, the shoulder buttons are used for attacks and require a lot of use of the index and middle fingers, but these button can also be mapped to different buttons. Can be played one-handed and with feet (but requires fast toe reflexes).

Can be played with two Switch Joycon controllers, two controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, keyboard + mouse, Gamecube controller, PlayStation 4 Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), PlayStation 5 DualSense controller (on PlayStation 4), Xbox One controller, Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), and Steam Deck controller. Touchscreen functionality is available by playing remotely with a smartphone or tablet (through Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One). No voice control functionality.

The original version of the game can be played with the Xbox 360 controller and PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 controller.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Nintendo Switch and with PC, check out my post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 2.7/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Dark Souls took the gaming world by storm when it first released in 2011, and then again in 2018 when the Remastered version was released for modern consoles. With the tagline “Prepare to Die”, it’s fair to say that playing Dark Souls is a trial-and-error type of experience, and that many deaths will surely happen. The extreme level of difficulty is by far the greatest accessibility concern here, and for many years fans have been asking FromSoftware to add difficulty settings or an easy mode to their games, and the response has repeatedly been “no,” claiming that the main creative point of their games is to create a challenge to rise above. On one hand, the old-school gamer in me applauds this approach requiring practice and determination to fully master the game, yet on the other hand… the difficulty level is a serious barrier blocking many people from playing and enjoying the world of Dark Souls, and it really would be nice to see the option available.

The world of Dark Souls is enigmatic to say the least, bordering on intentionally vague. The story is a patchwork fantasy, and figuring out where to go next is not always clear and often requires exploration and backtracking; there is no map, waypoint, or guide arrow to rely on. Several aspects of Dark Souls are not readily explained when creating a character and starting a game, such as which starter class and which stats you’ll want to focus on leveling up to maximize a melee, magic, miracle, pyromancy, or mixed character build. Relying on a strategy guide and/or walkthrough videos is almost a must, as it’s easy to get lost and some weapons and bosses aren’t very easy to find. Multiplayer is not the simplest game mode to get started, and requires the use of in-game items that aren’t available to you at the start of the game, and no players in a cooperative party can have already beaten a boss before playing it online.

Fully remappable controls make customizing your playstyle a breeze, and it’s great that there are several different consoles and controllers to choose from. Motion-sickness is primarily a concern if you turn the camera sensitivity settings up to a high level, but isn’t an issue at a slow camera speed, and barely an issue at medium speed. As with all of the Souls games, Dark Souls has lightning weapons and spells, and these are very intense lighting effects for anyone with medium-high photosensitivity; thankfully you don’t have to use any of these, and there aren’t many enemies that use them. Don’t worry, there are plenty of other types of powerful weapons and magic to choose from. Text size is small-medium and the font size can’t be increased, but it is high-contrast at least. There is no voice acting, and very few subtitles; FromSoftware and Dark Souls eschew exposition for exploration in this violent role-playing adventure.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/dark-souls-remastered-accessibility-review-9e9eacf048a6

[ablegaming]

Photosensitivity-safe games for the Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance

I recently picked up an old Gameboy again (the original Gameboy Advance model to be specific) to see if my photosensitivity would fare better with a non-backlit screen… to my dismay I discovered that although the intensity of lighting effects is diminished there are still a lot of flashing animations that bother my eyes and give me headaches. I’ve been working on combing through the entire catalogue of games released for the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance to find the most photosensitivity-safe games for us to play! None of the games on this list make use of any flashing animations.

For the record, I didn’t try to line this article up with the recent release of the Gameboy emulation on the Nintendo Switch Online, the timing was just a happy synchronicity. Unfortunately none of the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, or Gameboy Advance games that were recently added to the Nintendo Switch Online are photosensitivity-safe, they all make use of flashing light animations. Used Gameboys for sale can be found on eBay, at resale shops, thrift stores, and garage sales around the world.

Gameboy Dig Dug Hyper Lode Runner Megalit Motocross Maniacs (the new track record screen has flashing text, but at a fairly slow rate) Prince of Persia (the flickering candles are easier on the eyes on a non-backlit screen, also on Gameboy Color) World Bowling

Gameboy games can be played on Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Light, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance Micro, Gameboy Advance SP, Super Gameboy adapter for Super Nintendo, and the Gameboy Advance adapter for the Gamecube.

Gameboy Color Frogger GBC Harvest Moon GBC (the sudden flash of the bright white segue screens between buildings/areas is way too too hard on the eyes on a backlit screen, but is fine on the Gameboy Color or original Gameboy Advance. Weeds disappear-flash briefly as you clear them from the field) Harvest Moon GBC 3 (the sudden flash of the bright white segue screens between buildings/areas is way too too hard on the eyes on a backlit screen, but is fine on the Gameboy Color or original Gameboy Advance. Weeds disappear-flash briefly as you clear them from the field) Pocket Bowling (press start quickly as the title screen has flashing text, the sudden flash of the bright white segue screens is hard on the eyes on a backlit screen or rom, but is fine on the Gameboy Color or original Gameboy Advance) Prince of Persia (the flickering candles are easier on the eyes on a non-backlit screen, also on Gameboy) NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant Road Rash (there are brief flashes of white screen between publisher intros, this isn’t an issue on non-backlit screens or you can look away for 10 seconds after powering the system on, additionally road lines may be dizzying) Triple Play Baseball 2001 (turn “cutscene movies” off to avoid a flashing sign after getting a homerun)

Gameboy Color games can be played on Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance Micro, Gameboy Advance SP, and the Gameboy Advance adapter for the Gamecube. Gameboy color games can also be played on the original Gameboy with a very limited color palette, but only the black Gameboy Color cartridges and Pokémon games will work, the see-through Gameboy Color cartridges will not work. See the “Dual Mode” column on this page for the full list: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_Boy_Color_games

Gameboy Advance Chessmaster Classic NES: Dr. Mario (press start quickly as the title screen has some flashing colors, colorblindness may be an issue when playing on the non-backlit Gameboy Advance screen) Classic NES: Ice Climber (falling icicles are a little hard on the eyes on a backlit screen or rom, but they’re fine on the non-backlit original Gameboy Advance) Killer 3D Pool NHL 2002 (the goal siren light is hard on the eyes on a backlit screen or rom, but isn’t nearly as intense on the non-backlit original Gameboy Advance) Madden NFL 2005 Rebelstar: Tactical Command Scooby-Doo Super Monkey Ball Jr. Tetris Worlds (avoid looking directly at the shimmering star next to the currently selected option on the main menu, there are also some flames flickering in the background of the volcano level, otherwise the core gameplay is safe) Texas Hold ’Em Poker Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2002 (press start quickly as the title screen has flashing text) Top Gear Rally

Gameboy Advance games can be played on the Nintendo Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance Micro, Gameboy Advance SP, DS, DS Lite, and the Gameboy Advance adapter for the Gamecube.

If you know of any more photosensitivity-safe games for the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance please leave a comment and let us know!

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/photosensitivity-safe-games-for-the-nintendo-gameboy-gameboy-color-and-gameboy-advance-1cbeac012aee

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Accessibility in Board Gaming

Board gaming can be a fantastic alternative to video gaming, allowing you the freedom to take your turn in your own time and the ability to stop and check the directions or ask someone for help/clarification at any time. More and more board games are being released with a solo mode these days as well, which I appreciate!

Colorblindness can be a real concern when board gaming, so it’s best to play in a well-lit room and choose player/meeple colors that can be easily identified and differentiated, and substitute if needed. Photosensitivity and motion-sickness thankfully aren’t much of a concern in board gaming, aside from the occasional dizzying pattern design. Physical impact and pain can be an issue with board gaming, due to card shuffling, fast tile playing, and setup/teardown for gameplay. Having someone to help you set up and put away games, playing slower-paced games, and using an auto-shuffler may help reduce these concerns.

I’ve chosen my top 20 favorite board games, which I’m sure will change over time haha. I gravitate towards fun easy-medium complexity games that are fairly simple to set up and aren’t too much of a time-sink. My hope is that you discover a new game or two to play and enjoy!

1) Everdell* 1–4 players (6 with expansion), 40–80 minutes Everdell is a card collection, resource management, and worker placement game where you play as a group of animal meeples trying to collect the most victory points by adding buildings and settlers to your village.

2) Dominion* 2–4 players (6 with expansion), 30–60 minutes Dominion is a deck collection card game in which you compete against other players to collect money and purchase the most land for your dominion.

3) Fjords Original release: 2 players, 30 minutes Re-release: 2–4 players, 30–45 minutes Fjords is a tile-laying strategy game where players create the landscape in the first phase, and compete for the most connected settlements in the second phase.

4) Cottage Garden 1–4 players, 40–60 minutes Cottage Garden is a relaxing polyomino puzzle game where players compete to plant flowers in order to complete the most garden plots.

5) Bohnanza 2–7 players, 45 minutes Bohnanza (or Beans as it’s often called) is a card collection game where players compete to plant different types of beans in their fields by drawing and trading cards, harvested crops are then worth victory points. There is a 2 player only version also available called Bohnanza: The Duel.

6) Cascadia 1–4 players, 30–45 minutes Cascadia is a tile-laying strategy game where players expand their landscape and try to create patterns in their wildlife populations in order to score points.

7) Scrabble* 2-4 players, 40 minutes Scrabble is the classic two player word puzzle game, where players draw letter tiles and attempt to make words on a shared crossword-style board.

8) Wingspan* 1–5 players, 40–70 minutes Wingspan is a card collection game about attracting many species of birds to your region, collecting and storing food, and laying eggs. Wingspan: Asia is also available and plays up to 7 players.

9) Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small or Family Edition Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small 2 players, 30 minutes Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small is a two-player worker placement game in which players expand their farms and raise animals to collect victory points. Agricola: Family Edition 1–4 players, 45 minutes Agricola: Family Edition plays similarly to All Creatures Big and Small but accommodates up to four players, and in addition to raising animals players must also grow crops to feed their families.

10) Mountain Goats 2–4 players (5 with expansion), 20 minutes Mountain Goats is a simple dice-rolling and strategy game where players roll dice to race to the top of each mountain and collect the most points.

11) Qwirkle 2–4 players, 30 minutes Qwirkle is a tile-laying strategy game where players make patterns with matching colors and shapes, building off of the previous moves to create score combos. Colorblindness can make this game a little bit confusing, I recommend playing in a well-lit room and keeping colors that you have a hard time differentiating a ways apart from each other. For example, one of the sets of colors I struggle with is blue and purple, so I’ll keep the blue and purple tiles in my “hand” separated upright on the table so I won’t mix them up.

12) Bananagrams 2–7 players, 10–20 minutes Bananagrams is a fast-paced letter tile crossword-style game, similar to Scrabble but there is no game board, it’s a race to the finish, and up to seven players can play.

13) Village Green 1–5 players, 30 minutes Village Green is a card collection strategy game where players attempt to collect the most points by creating patterns of flowers, statues, and water features in their village green.

14) Settlers of Catan* 3–4 players (6 with expansion), 60 minutes Settlers of Catan is a cut-throat strategic resource management and building game, in which players compete to build roads and settlements.

15) Shifting Stones 1–5 players, 20 minutes Shifting Stones is a strategy game where players attempt to line up tiles in specific patterns in order to gain points.

16) Pokemon: The Card Game* 2 players, 20–30 minutes Pokemon TCG is a card deck building and battling game, where two players face off off battling Pokémon until all six of their opponent’s Pokémon are knocked out.

17) Dawn of Peacemakers 1–5 players, 60–120 minutes Dawn of Peacemakers is a unique strategy game in which players work together to cleverly attempt to stop two warring armies from fighting at the same moment. There is an over-arching story that is gradually revealed across many playthroughs. There is also an alternate skirmish mode where battles can be fought against each other.

18) Forbidden Island 2–4 players, 30 minutes Forbidden Island is a cooperative game in which each player has a different kind of character and movement ability, and all players must work together to collect the four island treasures and escape the island before it’s fully submerged underwater. There are two other games in this cooperative series: Forbidden Desert and Forbidden Sky, so if you like the concept but prefer either a desert or a steampunk theme check ‘em out!

19) Kingdom Builder 2–4 players (5 with expansion), 45 minutes Kingdom Builder is a strategy game where players compete to build the most settlements in specific patterns across several terrain types in order to score the most points.

20) Hive* 2 players, 20 minutes Hive is a two player strategy game that is similar to chess, in which players use their insect tiles (different insect types move differently) to try to surround and capture their opponent’s queen bee.

Several of these games are available in digital editions as well, on Android, iOS, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Games with digital versions available are marked with *

Keep an eye out for my future accessibility reviews of digital board games, and please feel free to comment with your favorite board game recommendations!

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/accessibility-in-board-gaming-1cd028944221

[ablegaming]

Tactics Ogre Reborn accessibility review

Game title: Tactics Ogre Reborn (Let Us Cling Together)

Platform(s): Windows, Steam Deck, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5.

The original version was released on PlayStation 1 and then on PSP, and is also playable on the PlayStation Vita. It was also released on Super Famicom and Sega Saturn in Japan.

Languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and traditional and simplified Chinese

Age rating: ESRB T, PEGI 12

Genre/theme: Strategy RPG; Tactics Ogre Reborn is a turn-based tactical role playing game played on a grid overlaying the landscape. Characters choose to move, attack, or wait on their turn. Throughout the course of the game many characters of varying classes (and dragons) will rally to your cause, these characters can all learn a variety of skills and magic as they level up. The story begins with a brewing civil war following the king’s death; three factions (one of which you control) rise up to fight for dominance of the Valerian Isles.

Violence: Mild; fantasy violence including melee weapons, bows, and magic. Mild blood, but no gore.

Maturity: Mild language and sexuality. No nudity, drugs, or alcohol.

Phobias: Blood/gore: Mild blood, but no gore. Drowning: None Heights: The camera angle is a fixed position angled down from several stories up. Characters can drop down a fairly decent height to the lower levels of the battle terrain. Sharks: None Spiders: None Underwater: None

Multiplayer: None; single player only.

Difficulty modes: None; training mode allows you to earn experience points and level up before going into the real battle. This game has perma-death when characters fall in battle, so keeping them alive and healed is critical.

Complexity: Medium; requires tactical decision making, knowledge of weapon and elemental advantages/disadvantages, and turn order monitoring.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: There is no physical instruction manual in the case. The game begins by asking your birthday, drawing several tarot cards, and then asking you a few multiple choice questions. The tutorial section introduces you to Recovery Time (RT), and how units with the lowest RT move first. The move order is called Attack Turn (AT), commands such as Move, Act, and Use Skills can be selected during your turn. There are four categories of skills: Action, Support, Auto, and Special. Units learn skills as they gain levels, according to their class.

The tutorial also introduces you to the world map, where you choose your destination. There is a Main Menu available on the world map that allows you to save your progress, and you can also access the same options menu from the start screen. Tactics Ogre Reborn will periodically autosave, but it’s generally best to make use of multiple manual saves. You will only be controlling one character in battle for the first few missions before the game opens up to strategizing the actions of your entire team.

Character classes can be changed, this requires using a classmark. Each class can learn different skills and wear different types of armor. The “Warren Report” can be accessed on the world map screen for detailed information regarding characters, world lore, and battle techniques.

Subtitles: Yes; subtitles are utilized.

Text customization: The default dialogue text is a medium-sized italicized and capitalized black font on a white text window, it’s readable but honestly not the clearest text. Unfortunately there are no customizable dialogue text options.

Message Speed can be set to Normal or Instant. Automate Battle Messages and Auto Advance Messages can all be turned on/off. Additionally, Weather Notifications, Action Notifications, and Level Up Notifications can also be turned on/off. Charm Use Confirmation dialogue and Context Icon can be turned on/off as well.

Voice acting: Fully voice-acted in both English and Japanese.

Volume settings: Master Volume, Music, Environment, Effects, System, Voice, and Mouseover Volume can all be set from 0–100. Play Voices can be turned on/off.

Photosensitivity: There are flashing lights in the opening cinematic, this can be skipped though. There is a fairly bright splash animation effect when entering a level. Torches and the area surrounding them have a mild flicker effect.

Characters flash bright white when hit in battle. Lightning and ice magic attacks make use of intense flashing light animations, I had to look away immediately every time these spells were used. Auto Skill Animations can be set to Default or Simple; Simple has a less intense animation, but it’s really not a whole lot easier on the eyes.

The lightning weather effect was too much for me, and I ended up selling this game. If you’re medium-high photosensitive I honestly don’t recommend buying or playing this game, unless you don’t mind playing it on extremely dim brightness and low contrast settings.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & in-game), backlight (TV), contrast (TV), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: The camera is a steady angled-down perspective, I didn’t experience any motion-sickness. Auto-Center Selection can be turned on/off, which doesn’t center the screen on the selected destination or target. Note that the background and character graphics are noticeably blurrier on the Nintendo Switch version than on other consoles and PC.

Colorblindness mode: None; color settings can only be adjusted in TV settings.

Controller rumble: Yes; can be set from 0–100.

Remappable controls: 100% fully remappable, all buttons can be reassigned.

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Light; can be played comfortably for extended periods of time.

Adaptability and input: Controls are simple, well spaced out, and can be fully customized. The majority of the controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable. Can be played one-handed or with feet.

Can be played with two Switch Joycon controllers, two controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, USB keyboard (keyboard shortcut bindings can be set on console and PC), mouse (mouse sensitivity and cursor size can be set on console and PC), Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Sony DualSense 5 controller, Xbox One controller, Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox Series X/S controller, Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), and Steam Deck controller. No touchscreen or voice control functionality.

The original version can be played (thanks to backwards compatibility) with the PlayStation 1 controller, PlayStation 1 dualshock controller, PlayStation 2 dualshock controller, PlayStation 3 dualshock controller, Sony PSP, and Sony PlayStation Vita.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Nintendo Switch and with PC, check out my post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 2.8/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Tactics Ogre Reborn is available to play on a wide range of consoles and controllers, as is also the case with its earlier versions. This new version of Tactics Ogre features a talented completely voice-acted cast of characters, in both English and Japanese. The laid-back nature of strategy RPGs allows for choosing your characters’ actions in your own time, which makes for a low physical impact gaming experience that can be enjoyed for lengthy sessions. Additionally, the controls can be completely remapped and customized. The angled-down camera perspective is steady and there are thankfully no motion-sickness concerns to be found.

Unfortunately, Tactics Ogre Reborn suffers from several regularly occurring photosensitivity concerns, and I honestly wouldn’t recommend purchasing or playing the game if you have medium-high photosensitivity. You may be able to play it with incredibly low brightness and contrast settings, but the screen would have to be very dim to counteract all of the flashing effects. Additionally, the default text font is italicized and isn’t super easy to read, with no customization options either. Sadly, these issues were too intense and too prevalent for me to be able to play and fully enjoy this version of Tactics Ogre.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/tactics-ogre-reborn-accessibility-review-78c0d4689c91

[ablegaming]

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze accessibility review

Game title: Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze

Platform(s): Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish

Age rating: ESRB E, PEGI 3

Genre/theme: Donkey Kong and friends are in the middle of celebrating his birthday when all of a sudden an evil walrus and his penguin minions attack the island, freezing much of it in the process. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong have to clear the enemies off of the island, all while collecting the K-O-N-G letters, 1-up balloons, hidden puzzle pieces, coins, and bananas. The gameplay is primarily in the platformer genre, with some minecart levels, swimming levels, barrel aiming mini-games, and boss battles.

Violence: Mild; Donkey Kong and friends defeat the enemies by jumping on them and bouncing off of their heads, there is no blood or gore.

Maturity: No nudity, sexuality, swearing, or drugs or alcohol references.

Phobias:  Blood/gore: None

Drowning: Donkey Kong and friends can swim underwater and have an air meter. Strategically placed air bubbles are available to replenish your meter, but if it runs down entirely your character can drown. Funky Kong is the exception to this, as he has scuba gear and can breathe underwater.

Heights: The main characters are flung high into the sky in the opening story cinematic. There are also few drops from significant heights within the levels.

Sharks: Your character can be attacked and killed by sharks in the water levels. The sharks are fairly cartoonishly designed but there is a sense of dread when they’re around. Sharks can be knocked out with a swim spin attack.

Spiders: None

Underwater: There are several deep underwater levels and sections in the game.

Multiplayer: 2-player cooperative mode allows two players to play through levels simultaneously. If either player gets too far ahead of the other, the player trailing behind will automatically warp ahead to the location of the leading player. If your gaming partner is prone to falling off of a lot of ledges you may run through a lot of shared lives, but there are lots of 1-up balloons to be found, 100 bananas to be collected (which nets you +1 life), and more lives can be purchased at the in-game shop using the collectable coins as well.

Difficulty modes: Tropical Freeze can be played in original mode where you play as Donkey Kong, or there’s also the option of playing the game in Funky mode, allowing you to play as Funky Kong, who makes the game significantly easier with his 5 health hearts (instead of 2), and his abilities to double jump, hover, breathe underwater, and take no damage from spikes. If you or your gaming partner are struggling (the game does have some pretty challenging levels and bosses), then playing as Funky is a great way to experience the game without dying constantly. Note that when playing as Funky Kong in single player you will not have the assistance of any other sidekick character, but Funky is amazing and you really won’t need Diddy, Dixie, or Cranky’s help.

When you have a sidekick character with you there is a meter that will gradually fill up, once this is full L + R can be pressed to turn all on-screen enemies into either 1-up balloons or coins to be collected. Several helpful items are available for sale at the item shop as well, these are stored until you need them to get past tough levels; they can be found on the Inventory tab on the map menu screen.

The bosses in this game are notably more difficult than in Mario games, they require many hits to take down, but are also fairly generous with giving you healing items for successful hits.

Complexity: Simple; Tropical Freeze is a straightforward platforming game that fans of all ages of Donkey Kong, Mario, and Sonic games can pick up and enjoy.

The three sidekick characters (Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong) all add a different play style to Donkey Kong’s moves. Diddy has a jetpack that adds extra height and a little distance to your jumps, Dixie does a hair spin move that adds a good amount of hover to your jump, and Cranky has a cane/pogo-stick that works similarly to Scrooge McDuck in the Ducktales games, allowing you to jump and then bounce with the cane to gain extra height.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: There is no physical instruction manual in the case. The basic controls aren’t readily given to you, but they only consist of the left stick or directional buttons to move and B to jump and Y to slam the ground/spin underwater. There are a few objects to interact with in each level, and button prompts appear on screen for these. The controls can be referenced (and changed) in the Pause menu.

There are checkpoints in each level marked by a pig waiting at a kiosk. If you die after unlocking a checkpoint you can continue from that point in the level, unless you lose so many lives that you end up with a Game Over and have to restart the level from the beginning. Barrels appear throughout each level that contain your secondary character, pick them up and throw them to unlock your sidekick character.

The overworld map will be familiar to long-time players of both the Donkey Kong and Mario series, and is easy to navigate. There is a Menu that can be accessed on the overworld map that contains Summary, Options, and Extras. The game auto-saves after each completed level and when exiting. There are 3 save slots to choose from, so 3 different playthroughs can be saved and loaded.

Subtitles: Yes; there are subtitles, but not very many of the characters actually speak anyway.

Text customization: None; the default text size is in a medium-large fairly clear to read black font on a white text window.

Voice acting: None; just the noises that Donkey Kong and friends make when jumping.

Volume settings: Sound Effects Volume (0–100), and Music Volume (0–100)

Photosensitivity: When your character gets hit by an enemy they disappear-flash for a second or two, this isn’t super intense though and you can focus your eyes elsewhere on the screen to reduce the intensity even further. At the beginning of each level When playing as Funky Kong, he makes his entrance and strikes a pose with a bright glint on his teeth.

Motion-sickness and camera: The camera is a smooth and steady third-person side-scrolling view. There are windmills in the background of a few levels that are somewhat disorienting, and there are also a few platforming sections with rotating platforms. One of the loading screens has a spinning barrel that is a bit dizzying to focus on. One of the other loading screens has spinning bananas that are somewhat disorienting. The cloud loading screen is pretty intense in handheld mode.

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze on the Nintendo Switch runs at a steady 60FPS in 1080p in docked mode. Note that the resolution takes a hit in handheld mode though, running at 648p. The handheld mode runs noticeably a bit less crisp than many other games on the Switch. It looks fine, but it really shines when played on a nice TV.

Colorblindness mode: None; color settings can only be adjusted in TV settings.

Controller rumble: Yes; no option to turn off.

Remappable controls: Controls can be changed in the Options section of the Pause Menu or Map Menu, but are fairly limited. There are Default and Alternate control schemes for each type of controller input, with the Alternate modes for each controller only switching the triggers (ZL + ZR) and the X and Y buttons.

Quick-time events: The majority of the game can be played at your leisure (with no level timer), but the minecart levels and sections do require very carefully timed jumps.

Physical impact: Light-medium; playing as Donkey Kong can have some gradual impact on the hands and forearms, and is generally best played in short-medium length game sessions. Playing as Funky, however, has notably less physical impact, which allows for longer play times.

Adaptability and input: Controls are simple, well spaced out, and can be partially customized. The majority of the controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable. Can be played one-handed, which may be easier when playing with a single Joycon controller.

Can be played with one Switch Joycon controller, two Switch Joycon controllers, two controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Wii U tablet controller, Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required to use on Switch). No touchscreen or voice control functionality.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Nintendo Switch and with PC, check out my post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 3.7/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Originally released in 2014 for the Nintendo Wii U, and re-released in 2018 on the Nintendo Switch, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (with Funky Mode) is by far the best way to play the game; the addition of Funky Kong makes it significantly more accessible. Tropical Freeze is filled with well-designed and challenging levels that can be overcome with the help of a friend, sidekick characters and useful items, or playing as Funky Kong. There are several different controller options and a couple of control scheme options to choose from, and the control scheme is simple and easy to understand and recall.

There are a few minor instances of motion-sickness, but the vast majority of the game features a smooth and steady side-scrolling experience. Tropical Freeze is largely photosensitivity safe, though your character disappear-flashes briefly when hit by an enemy, but focusing your eyes elsewhere on the screen reduces the impact of the effect (or playing well enough to avoid getting hit!) There isn’t any voice-acting beyond a few grunts here and there, but that comes as no surprise as we haven’t heard Donkey Kong speak since the 1997 Donkey Kong Country television series. The lack of text settings is disappointing, but Donkey Kong games historically don’t rely too heavily on text and instead focus on the solid platforming gameplay that they’re well-known for.

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/donkey-kong-tropical-freeze-accessibility-review-e58f5177d92a

[ablegaming]

Sony unveils Project Leonardo, a new customizable accessibility controller

Sony has released early information about their upcoming new accessibility controller for the PlayStation 5: Project Leonardo

Aside from evoking memories of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Leonardo marks Sony's debut into developing accessibility tech for their gaming customers.

Though we have yet to see footage of the controller in use, early testers claim that it's a game-changer, allowing for not only customization but also the ability for multiple commands to be triggered by the press of only one button. Leonardo can be used in combination with the DualSense controller or with the two Leonardo controllers. Much like Microsoft's Adaptive Controller, Leonardo also has inputs to connect several other kinds of controllers, buttons, and switches for each button command. The two-controller design allows for the joysticks to be any distance apart that is needed, and they can also lay flat on any surface.

This project is currently in development and is not yet commercially available, but I'll be keeping a close eye on this and sharing updates as they arrive!

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/sony-unveils-project-leonardo-a-new-customizable-accessibility-controller-8c65c85c9091

[ablegaming]

An unexpected hiatus, and new content on the way!

Hey friends, sorry it's been a minute since I've posted an update or a game review, I got crazy busy this holiday season and it seemed like I had even less spoons to work with than last year...

But I've got lots of new and old games to be played, reviewed, and discussed! I've got new accessibility reviews in the works, new accessibility tech to check out, and a new category to add to my game reviews per the suggestion of one of my awesome followers: phobias

I'd like to open that discussion and get everyone's input, aside from the initial suggestion of arachnophobia, which phobia(s) would you like to see included? Heights will definitely be included.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

[ablegaming]

Pokémon Scarlet accessibility review

Game title: Pokémon Scarlet

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Languages: English, simplified and traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

Age rating: ESRB E, PEGI 7

Genre/theme: RPG adventure, creature collection, battling, and open-world exploration. Pokémon Scarlet takes place in the new Paldea region, whose culture loosely resembles that of Spain. Your goal as a student of the Academy is to win all of the gym boss battles and complete the Pokédex by catching (at least) one of each type of Pokémon in the region.

Multiplayer: Yes; there are several ways to play multiplayer. This is the first Pokémon title where players can party up with up to 4 players, not just to fight raid battles together, but to explore the open world as a group as well. Trading and battling Pokémon are available as per usual, both with friends and with random players online. Local multiplayer also supports up to 4 players (requires 4 Switch consoles and 4 Scarlet or Violet cartridges).

Violence: Mild; no blood or gore, Pokémon battle each other until one of them faints. As is the case with all Pokémon games, some suspension of real-world ethics (and the physics of a Pokéball) is required, with capturing creatures and having them battle. When all 6 of your party Pokémon have fainted your character will black out and then rush to the Pokémon center to heal their Pokémon right away. Blacking out results in losing a relatively small amount of money. Letting your Pokémon faint regularly lowers their friendliness level, and there are a few species that require a high friendliness level in order to evolve.

Maturity: No nudity, sexuality, foul language, or drug & alcohol references. Gamers of all ages can enjoy Pokémon Scarlet.

Difficulty modes: None

Complexity: Easy-Medium; Scarlet combines elements of both Sword/Shield and Legends Arceus for a classic experience with just a couple of new tricks. The biggest changes are in navigating the massive open world map, purchasing and consuming meals to provide your party with different stat buffs, taking optional classes at the Academy, fighting Team Star camp raids, and riding your companion Pokémon who gradually unlocks new abilities (Koraidon in Scarlet, Miraidon in Violet).

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: Does not come with an instruction manual in the case, and there is no controls reminder available in-game. Scarlet starts with you moving into a new house, picking 1 of 3 Pokémon to raise, and meeting a new friend, who introduces you to many of the game’s controls and also accompanies you along the way to the Academy, where the real adventure begins.

Your character carries a Rotom phone which functions as your Pokédex, world map (custom locations can be marked), and a camera. Fast travel is available to all previously visited Pokémon Centers. Autosave is on by default and saves often, including after catching a Pokémon, and manual saves can be made at any time. “Helping Functions” is on by default, this activates assistance when you fall from a great height. “Skip Cutscenes” can be turned on, but is recommended to be left on during your first playthrough as important story scenes will be skipped.

Subtitles: Yes; relies entirely on subtitles.

Text customization: Text Speed can be set to Slow, Normal, or Fast. The ability to turn off “Give Nicknames” removes the prompt to give a nickname to newly caught Pokémon, which is a nice feature for gamers who prefer not to use nicknames. “Show Nicknames” can be turned on/off for online battles and interactions. Text size is medium-large and fairly clear to read, though neither text or window custom sizing options are available unfortunately.

Voice acting: None

Volume settings: Background Music, Sound Effects, and Pokémon Battle Cries can all be adjusted from 0–10.

Photosensitivity: If you have photosensitivity concerns, I strongly recommend choosing the Scarlet version of the game over Violet, as the Pokémon you ride on on in Violet has moving lights that really bothered my eyes (from the video clips that I watched).

There are bright sparkles when you catch a Pokémon. Items that can be found in the world appear as a bright glint of light. Lightning Pokémon and moves aren’t quite as visually intense as in some other Pokémon games, but they’re still pretty hard on the eyes, so I recommend generally focusing on other elemental types.

The biggest photosensitivity issue is absolutely the crystal effect used in Terra battles, especially when you throw a Pokéball at a wild Pokémon in a Tera raid battle. I lowered my TV’s brightness and contrast to counteract some of the lighting issues, but I found that I just have to look away from the screen for about 15 seconds as soon as I throw a Pokéball at a wild raid Pokémon.

You’ve likely heard or read about Scarlet and Violet being a bit glitchy and unstable in its current form, and it’s true alright. Some of the occasional graphical glitches can be rather sudden and jarring on the eyes, hopefully future updates will improve this.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & in-game), backlight (TV), contrast (TV & in-game), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: Camera speed cannot be adjusted, but the default speed moves at a gentle pace, which is nice for motion-sensitive gamers, but may be an annoyance for gamers who like to turn up the thumbstick sensitivity. Clicking the right thumbstick down switches between a closer camera angle and one that’s a bit further away.

Perspective gets a bit wonky when entering and exiting shops, and you may find yourself getting turned around and accidentally entering the shop more than once, this can be a little bit disorienting. Vertical and horizontal camera controls can be set to either Regular or Inverted.

Colorblindness mode: None, can only be remedied by adjusting color settings on the TV.

Controller rumble: Yes; can also be turned off.

Remappable controls: None

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Low; can be played for extended periods of time without pain or fatigue.

Adaptability and input: The default controls are mapped well, but cannot be customized. The majority of the controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable.

Can be played with Switch Joycon controllers, controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required), and Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required). No touchscreen or voice control functionality.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Switch, check out my recent post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 3.0/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Pokémon Scarlet delivers a fully open-world experience for the first time in the series, complete with fast travel, and a rideable Pokémon companion to explore the region of Paldea with you. The abilities to turn off the nickname prompt, send caught Pokémon automatically to boxes, and skip cutscenes are all super useful additions to Game Freak’s formula. Low physical impact controls make the game enjoyable for extended periods of time without pain or fatigue, but the controls aren’t customizable at all. The camera is a bit slow and doesn’t cause any motion-sickness, yet the speed can’t be adjusted. Clicking the right stick to change between the two camera distances offers some nice perspective options though.

Pokémon Scarlet unsurprisingly has some photosensitivity concerns; lightning attacks, Terra crystal battles, Pokéball animations, and early release glitchyness makes for a little bit of a rough time, but thankfully these can be mitigated somewhat by adjusting brightness and contrast settings on the TV. The Terra raid Pokémon capture is honestly just too much though, and I found myself having to look away from the screen. The lack of voice acting and customizable text settings aren’t terribly surprising given the series’ history, but thankfully the default text size is medium-large and is pretty readable. All in all, Scarlet and Violet are a big step forward for the franchise into a brand new open world, yet it still suffers from some long-running accessibility issues yet to be addressed.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/pok%C3%A9mon-scarlet-accessibility-review-20d9139edbcf

[ablegaming]

A quick update & a wild Pokémon discussion appears!

Hey everybody, my apologies for not posting a whole lot in the last couple of weeks, have been dealing with health issues, a lost dog (found her!), and annoying insurance stuff...

...but new Pokémon! Scarlet and Violet have arrived, and I'm having a great time exploring the Paldea region and checking out the new Pokémon. I'm currently working on an accessibility review for Scarlet, and should have that up within the next few days.

Which starter did you choose and who are your new favorites so far? I chose Quaxly and am enjoying having Fidough and Flamigo in my party.

Legacy Pokémon question time, what are your top 10 favorite Pokémon of all time? Not necessarily the strongest, they can be favorites for any reason.

In no particular order, my top 10 are: Tyranitar Togekiss Dragonite Xerneas Espeon Scizor Lapras Mega Charizard X Alolan Ninetails Sirfetch'd

[ablegaming]

The Best Photosensitivity-Safe Games I’ve Played (So Far)

I wondered why I could never find a list of photosensitivity-safe video games anywhere online, but when I went searching through my game collection (much of which I can no longer play) to put together a list, I quickly understood: there just aren’t many games made with photosensitivity concerns in mind. Thankfully, over the last few years we’ve begun to see more developers include features such as “turn off flashing lights” and “turn off special effects”, making otherwise unplayable games accessible to gamers with photosensitivity concerns. One of the games on this brief list falls into that category, and the other four games don’t utilize any flashing lights at all (that I’ve noticed).

Dorfromantik | Windows, Nintendo Switch

Stardew Valley (“turn off flashing lights” setting) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Nintendo Switch

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling | Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna

Rime | Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch

Harvest Moon | Super Nintendo (SNES)

Which games have you played that were light-sensitivity-safe and easy on the eyes? Leave a comment and let me know! I’d love to expand this list over time as we discover even more games that qualify.

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/the-best-photosensitivity-safe-games-ive-played-so-far-cf03b8134c3

[ablegaming]

Rocket League accessibility review

Game title: Rocket League

Platform(s): Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck

Languages: English, Dutch, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish

Age rating: ESRB E, PEGI 3

Genre/theme: Car soccer, car basketball, car hockey, multiplayer, and car customization. Rocket League is a fast-paced combination of driving RC cars and playing various sports.

Multiplayer: Yes; there are several ways to play multiplayer. Local split-screen multiplayer supports up to 4 players on one screen. Online matchmaking options are 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4V4, you can also choose between casual and competitive (ranked, more intense games). Players can load into game parties with friends, play with/against random players online, play with/against AI teammates/opponents, and various combinations of these.

Split-screen layout can be switched between Vertical and Horizontal. Cross-Platform Play is on by default but can be turned off. Show Competitive Divisions and Show Extra Mode Ranks are also on by default but can be turned off as well. Additionally, Allow Player-to-Player Trading is on by default and can be turned off. Client Send Rate, Server Send Rate, and Bandwidth limit can all be set to Low, Medium, or High. Tournament Region can be set to: US-East, Europe, US-West, Asia-SE Mainland, Asia-SE Maritime, Asia-East, Middle-East, Oceania, South Africa, South America, and India.

Violence: Boosting full speed into an opponent will cause their car to explode, these are basically RC cars though and they don’t have human drivers inside.

Maturity: No nudity, sexuality, or drug & alcohol references. Occasional mild foul language in a few of the background music songs, which can be muted.

Difficulty modes: None

Complexity: Easy-Medium; Rocket League’s gameplay is simple to play yet takes practice to master. There isn’t anything particularly complex, and there’s no story to follow, only learning how to keep improve your aiming and timing.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: When you start up the game for the first time a tutorial section immediately pops up (before you even get to the main menu), and this explains all of the basic mechanics and controls of the game well. There is also a Training section where you can access basic and advanced tutorials, as well as opportunities to focus on practicing the following techniques: Striker, Goalie, Aerial, Custom, and Free Play. Progress saves automatically after each game. The Settings menu houses all of the options you’ll need and is easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for, though the text size is fairly small.

Subtitles: None, there is no dialogue.

Text customization: Adjusting the Interface Scale setting allows you to change the text and window size, however, it’s already set to 100% by default and text size can’t be enlarged. You can choose between metric and imperial units of measurement.

Quick Chat can be set to Allow Quick Chat with Everyone, Allow Quick Chat with Teammates Only, or Allow Quick Chat with Nobody (Off). Match Chat can be set to Allow Text Chat with Everyone, Allow Text Chat with Friends Only, Allow Text Chat with Friends and Teammates Only, or Allow Text Chat with Nobody (Off). Party Chat can be set to Allow Party Chat with Everyone, Allow Party Chat with Friends Only, or Allow Party Chat with Nobody (Off).

Nameplates of teammates and opponents can be set to Default, Nearby Only, or Simplified, and the size scaling can be customized. Notifications During Gameplay (online comments made by teammates and opponents) can be turned on/off or set to teammates only. Game Stat Display Level can be set to Main Stats Only or All Stats. Connection Quality Indicators are on by default and can also be turned off. Chat speaker notifications (both in-menu and in-match) are also on by default and can be turned off.

Voice acting: None

Volume settings: Master, Gameplay, Music-Playlists, Music-Gameplay, Voice Chat, Ambient, and Crowd volume can all be adjusted from 0–100%. Output Type can be set to either Speakers or Headphones. Dynamic Range (the difference between quiet and loud sounds) can be set to Default, Low (Night), and High (Theater).

Play Soundtrack In Menu, Play Soundtrack In Training, and Play Soundtrack In Game can all be turned on/off. Player Anthems can be set to Always On, Matches Only, or Off. Streamer Safe Music can be turned on, which mutes or replaces any DMCA protected soundtracks and anthems.

Voice Chat can be set to: Allow Voice Chat with Everyone, Allow Voice Chat with Nobody (Off), Allow Voicechat with Friends Only, and Allow Voicechat with Friends and Teammates Only. Voice Chat Method can be set to Open Mic, Push to Talk, or Toggle Mute. Preferred Voice Channel can be set to prioritize either Party or Team.

A random small-world side note, Mike Ault (the composer of much of the game’s music) and I go way back. It’s been years since I’ve been in touch with him but it’s seriously awesome to see how far his music career has taken him.

Photosensitivity: The ball arrow above your car constantly flashes bright white, I found this to be problematic, but thankfully it can be turned off in the settings menu. Some of the acceleration boost and goal effects are bright on the eyes but Effect Intensity can be set to Low Intensity or Default. Weather Effects can also be turned off if rain is an issue.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & in-game), backlight (TV), contrast (TV & in-game), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: Motion-sickness is one of the biggest accessibility issues in Rocket League, but thankfully there are several adjustable settings in the Settings menu that make a considerable difference. Even so, the high-speed nature of the gameplay may be too much for gamers with medium-high motion sensitivity.

The most dizzying aspect of the game is definitely ball-cam mode, in which the camera directly follows the movement of the ball, and swings around sharply when the ball quickly changes direction; I found this to be extremely disorienting. Thankfully, Swivel Speed can be adjusted in the Settings menu, and players can also choose to turn off ball-cam mode, or set it to Toggle or to Hold when pressing the camera change button. Swivel is set to inverted by default but this can be turned off so as to swivel in the opposite direction.

Camera Shake is another troublesome feature when it comes to motion-sickness, thankfully it can be turned off. The camera angle is impressively customizable, with Field of View, Distance, Height, Angle, Stiffness, Swivel Speed, and Transition Speed being totally customizable. Video Quality can be set to either Performance or Quality, with Performance increasing the framerate at the cost of lower graphics, and Quality being higher graphics at the cost of lower framerate.

Colorblindness mode: Yes; you can also choose to turn on Force Default Team Colors, and Team-Colored Boost Meter can be turned on/off.

Controller rumble: Yes; can be customized or turned off.

Remappable controls: Yes; fully customizable.

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Medium-heavy; play style and intensity makes a noticeable difference, but pain and fatigue do set in after a few matches, even playing at lower intensity. Gamers with chronic pain will likely do best with playing short-medium game sessions.

Adaptability and input: The default controls are mapped well, and can also be customized. Most of the default controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to customize their control scheme. Steering Sensitivity, Aerial Sensitivity, Controller Deadzone, and Dodge Deadzone can all be customized in the Settings menu.

Can be played with Switch Joycon controllers, controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox One controller, Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required on Switch), Xbox Series X/S controller, Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required on Switch), mouse + keyboard, Steam controller, Steam Deck, and any other controller that is compatible with Steam.

No touchscreen or voice control functionality (though there is an iOS and Android game called Rocket League Sideswipe that utilizes phone and tablet touchscreen).

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Switch, check out my recent post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 4.2/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Rocket League has a truly impressive list of settings to choose from that will help customize and improve your gaming experience. Being available on a wide variety of consoles and controllers, and with complete controller remappability, there are lots of ways to play. The ability to turn down goal and boost visual effects, and the ability to turn off the ball arrow, largely mitigates most photosensitivity concerns.

Unfortunately Rocket League suffers from some motion-sickness issues, though these can be greatly improved by tweaking several of the camera settings and/or turning off ball-cam mode. The fast-paced nature of the game may be too much for some motion sensitive gamers though. The default menu text is quite small, and unfortunately can’t be enlarged. With Rocket League primarily being an online gaming experience, it can be a bit frustrating and defeating to newcomers who are just learning the ropes, so I recommend sticking to the Casual and Training modes for a while before taking on the Competitive and Tournament modes.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/rocket-league-accessibility-review-f722c620bced

[ablegaming]

A Self-Love Reminder

Being in full-body pain 24/7 is exhausting, additionally I'm becoming gradually more allergic to my pain medications (bad corn/corn derivatives allergy). Having to slowly wean off of my meds, as going cold turkey is seriously no bueno. I'm trying my best to stay positive despite the constant flare-ups every time I lower my dose.

I know we can all find and cultivate peace, joy, and comfort in our lives, despite the struggles we face every day. I've learned that supporting the body with the mind makes a world of difference. We can choose happiness even when things feel awful, that's honestly when we need it the most.

[ablegaming]

Elden Ring Accessibility Review

Game title: Elden Ring

Platform(s): Windows (Steam), Steam Deck, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Playstation 4, Playstation 5

Languages: English, simplified and traditional Chinese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai

Age rating: ESRB M, PEGI 16

Multiplayer: Yes; several types of multiplayer. Cooperative mode allows players to load into a party together. You can also leave summon signs near bosses so that online players can summon you for assistance with a boss battle, and likewise, you can call upon them when you discover their summon signs on the ground. As with the Dark Souls series, players can leave messages on the ground for other online players to read; some of these are helpful, some are funny, and some are intentionally misleading, so take their advice with apprehensive discretion.

There is also PVP (player-vs-player) mode in which you can challenge online players in combat. You can choose whether you want cross-region play open or restricted in the Settings menu. Voice chat can be turned on/off.

Genre/theme: Action RPG, open-world, epic dark fantasy story, boss battles, leveling up, and character customization. Elden Ring is the first game collaboration between FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro) and George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones), in which your character, a “Tarnished”, sets out to repair the Elden Ring and to become the new Elden Lord. There are several endings that can be achieved by completing different side quests.

Violence: Heavy; Elden Ring’s central focus is magic, sword, axe, hammer, spear, and bow combat, and enemies are often dismembered. There is quite a lot of blood, though blood can be turned off in the settings menu.

Maturity: Partial nudity, some foul language, and a lot of dialogue about killing and death. Many of the enemies and bosses are creepy and fairly unsettling to look at it, and a few of the characters on your side are as well (especially the Fingers and the Finger Crones). No sexuality, drugs, or alcohol.

Difficulty modes: None. Once the main story is completed you can start New Game+ mode, which raises the difficulty of enemies and the amount of experience points gained; this can be done as many times as wanted, to continue leveling up and to get different endings. All weapons, armor, and spells carry over into NG+.

Difficulty is one of the biggest accessibility barriers in Elden Ring, and all of the FromSoftware games. These games are difficult, so difficult that they’re not always fun for everyone; dying endlessly and not making any progress sucks, so I honestly don’t recommend this game series to anyone who isn’t looking for a challenge. It would be really awesome if an easier difficulty or story mode was included, but I do understand that these games are meant to be as challenging as old-school games like Castlevania and Mega Man.

Thankfully in addition to recruiting help from online players you have the ability to summon spirit ashes to fight alongside you, this is a huge help with aggroing and wearing down bossses, though spirit ashes generally have fairly low health. Leveling up your spirit ash companions (you can set 3 as your current choices) will make the game a bit less difficult, and it’s worth taking the time to hunt down the grave glovewort and ghost glovewort needed to improve them. Try to track down the ghost and grave glovewort bells, as these unlock the ability to buy an unlimited number of them from the merchant in the Roundtable Hold.

There's another way to approach these games which may appeal: cheesing. You can cheese many of the bossfights, there are ridiculously easy methods to taking them down. These can be fun to figure out on your own or you can reference the many YouTube videos on the subject. If the game is going to be so unfairly difficult at points then there’s absolutely no shame in exploiting its design flaws and intentional secrets to get past the bosses that you’re stuck on. If anyone gives you a hard time for it just ignore 'em, video games are meant to be fun.

Complexity: Medium-hard; Miyazaki is known for creating some pretty mysterious game worlds, so it wasn’t surprising that I had to look up how to find a few things online. You can fight the bosses in any order you like but they may overpower you, so knowing when to fight and when to run is a critical strategy, you can come back at any point to take them on. The main boss battles get progressively more difficult, with the last few being almost insurmountable; calling upon cooperative online help is immensely helpful.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: The tutorial section can be skipped or accidentally missed, be sure to head down to the right in the first area. Controls can be referenced in the Settings menu at any time. Menus are simple to navigate and find what you’re looking for. The game autosaves often, and also saves upon exiting the game.

Fast travel is available to several locations on the map. You have a spectral horse you can summon to ride on at any time, and it can double jump! The map is unlocked in sections, with each section containing a map piece to be collected. One of the biggest accessibility omissions was the choice not to include any sort of a journal or quest marking system, this means you have to keep track of where you are in a quest, where you need to go next, and where all of it is located on the map.

As is the case with Miyazaki’s previous games, the story isn’t very clearly or sequentially spelled out (intentionally) and has to be pieced together by the player (and by watching YouTube videos). George R.R. Martin’s literary voice and world lore add a rich fantasy quality to the well-established FromSoftware gameplay experience.

Subtitles: Yes; can also be turned off. The HUD (heads-up-display) can be turned off as well.

Text customization: None. Subtitles are fairly small white text on a dark gray background for contrast.

Voice acting: Fully voice-acted. There’s even an invisible character named Boc the Seamster that speaks to you in a few locations. He’ll give you a couple of helpful items if you find him.

Volume settings: Master Volume, Music, Sound Effects, and Voice can all be set from 0–10.

Photosensitivity: HDR can be turned on/off. Brightness, Maximum Brightness, and Saturation can all be adjusted in the Settings menu.

There are several lightning spells that are really hard on the eyes, so I focused on learning and using fire and comet magic instead. There's a species of flower called Fulgurbloom, small patches of these flowers attract lightning bolts from the sky, I definitely recommend steering clear of them.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & in-game), backlight (TV), contrast (TV & in-game), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: Camera speed can be adjusted from 1–10. X and Y axis thumbstick pitches can be inverted, and Reset Camera Y-axis can be turned on/off. Auto-Target, Auto Lock-On, and Manual Attack Aiming can all be turned on/off. Camera Auto Rotation, Camera Auto Wall Recovery, and Cinematic Effects can all be turned on/off as well, turning some of these settings off may help significantly with motion-sickness. Camera Performance settings can be switched to Prioritize Framerate or Graphics.

The most dizzying thing in the game is locking on to enemies while on your spectral horse and riding in circles around them, thankfully changing some of these camera settings can resolve this, or you can also choose not to lock on to enemies while riding your spectral horse and control the camera manually.

Colorblindness mode: None, color settings can only be adjusted in TV settings.

Controller rumble: Yes; can be set from 0–10. Motion sensor functions can be turned on/off as well.

Remappable controls: Yes; all buttons can be remapped, I’ve read that there are a couple of remapping limitations on the Windows/Steam version.

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Medium-heavy; can vary depending on what type of weapons you choose to use. Daggers, short swords, and dual weapons require quick button pressing, whereas casting magic spells and fighting with heavier/stronger weapons is much easier on the hands and arms.

Adaptability and input: The default controls are mapped well, and can also be customized. A lot of the default controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to customize their control scheme and/or set the controller on their lap to play using their fingers.

Can be played with Sony Dualshock 4 controller, Sony Playstation 5 Dualsense controller, Xbox One controller, Xbox X/S controller, mouse + keyboard, Steam controller, Steam Deck, and any controller that is compatible with Steam. The Steam version has full controller support. No touchscreen or voice control functionality.

Overall accessibility score: 3.6/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

A leap in the right direction (the first FromSoftware game to include jumping,) Elden Ring is the most accessible FromSoftware and Miyazaki game yet, but still has considerable room for improvement. There are definite photosensitivity concerns with lightning weapons, spells, and lightning in the environment, as well as some camera rotation motion-sickness concerns, but all of these can be adjusted and greatly improved within the game’s Settings menu and by adjusting your TVs brightness and contrast where needed. Elden Ring can be rough on the hands when using quick melee weapons, but opting for magic or slower heavy weapons can make a huge difference with pain and fatigue.

The lack of any quest markers or waypoints makes for a frustrating time trying to remember where you are in the main story and side quests, and almost requires referencing YouTube and Wiki pages to figure out where to go. The difficulty level creates the greatest barrier to enjoyment, and may be too much for anyone not looking to die and practice a bunch to overcome the insurmountable odds. Prepare to do a lot of leveling up (do the bird farm!) The ability to summon spirit ashes (and online players) into your game to assist you with battles is a nice addition to the Souls formula, and makes the game more approachable.

Elden Ring is the first fully voice-acted game from FromSoftware (with very talented voicework too), though unfortunately text settings are still unavailable, and the default text is pretty small. There’s a lot of mystery in this world, and you may find yourself getting lost sometimes, but exploring the beautifully desolate Lands Between is an experience in itself.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/elden-ring-accessibility-review-658bf70b7c79

[ablegaming]

Cozy Grove accessibility review

Game title: Cozy Grove

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox One, iOS, Mac OS X, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch

Languages: English, Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Dutch, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish

Age rating: ESRB E10+, PEGI 3

Multiplayer: None

Genre/theme: Relaxing life-sim, collecting items, fishing, story progression, and helping others. Noticeably inspired by the Animal Crossing series, in Cozy Grove you play as a spirit scout who has washed ashore on a small haunted island. Thankfully the ghosts are all very nice cartoon animal spirits and aren’t the least bit frightening. Your task as a spirit scout is to help the ghosts out, as many of them are in a state of confusion, wanting, or are clinging to their past and are having trouble moving on. As you help the ghosts the island expands, giving you more land to explore and more ghosts to assist. You can also have various spirit pet companions on your island.

Violence: None

Maturity: No nudity, sexuality, swearing, or drug references. There are a couple brief references to drinking alcohol.

Difficulty modes: None

Complexity: Easy; can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. Navigating and finding what you’re looking for in the Backpack, Badges, Quest Log, and Options menus is probably the most complex aspect, but isn’t too challenging.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: The initial tutorial is straightforward and easy to understand, and the game introduces you to a few new abilities over the first few days of playing. The heads-up-display at the bottom of the screen reminds you which button commands open each of the menus, as well as the button commands for throwing an item and running. Autosave is on by default, and saves often, this can be turned off in the Options menu. You can also save manually in the Options menu, choosing “Save and Continue” or “Save and return to Main Menu”.

Subtitles: Yes; relies entirely on subtitles.

Text customization: None. Text is medium-large, well-spaced, and clear to read. Character names and items are white text on a soft red background. Dialogue text and item information are black on a creme-colored window, and within the dialogue window the dialogue choices are white text on a blue-green background, with bright green signifying the currently selected choice. The heads-up-display button commands are white text on a dark gray background. The backpack and badges menu heading text is white on a light brown background, while the rest of the window is creme-colored. Inventory amounts are listed in light green text (I found this to be the most difficult text to read).

Voice acting: None

Volume settings: SFX volume, UI volume, and music volume can all be adjusted from 0–11.

Photosensitivity: At night the lanterns have a gentle flickering effect, and there is a small circle of light surrounding you that has a gentle flickering effect as well. Perpetual daylight can be turned on/off in the Options menu, allowing you to choose whether or not you want day and night cycles; there are generally less photosensitivity concerns with daytime lighting. Small bright-ish firefly sprites appear regularly during both daytime and nighttime. Rain appears as horizontally angled white streaks, this bothered me and may be too much for medium-highly photosensitive gamers, but rainfall doesn’t last long thankfully and you can look or walk away from the TV for a minute until the rain finishes.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & handheld), backlight (TV), contrast (TV), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: The camera is angled diagonally downwards towards the island and moves with you, with your character always being in the center of the screen. The walking camera speed is fairly easy on the eyes, but running made me a bit motion-sick, thankfully it isn’t necessary. The framerate is a little bit faster/smoother on Windows and Mac PCs, Xbox One, and PS4.

Colorblindness mode: None, color settings can only be adjusted in TV settings.

Controller rumble: Yes; it’s only utilized during fishing though.

Remappable controls: None

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Light; can be played for extended periods of time, though as is the case with Animal Crossing, Cozy Grove is designed to be played small amounts each day, with items being delivered the next day and the story requiring some day-to-day progression. You can however spend as much time as you like collecting items and fishing, as foragable items and fish respawn every so often. Fishing is a bit button-mashy when reeling in a fish that’s on the line, but fishing can be spaced out in your gameplay to minimize pain and fatigue.

Adaptability and input: Controls are simple and well spaced-out. Can be played one-handed or with feet. The majority of the controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable.

Can be played with Switch Joycon controllers, controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, Switch handheld touchscreen, Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required to use on Switch), mouse + keyboard, Steam controller, Steam Deck, any controller that is compatible with Steam, iPhone touchscreen, iPad touchscreen, iPod touch touchscreen, and Apple TV remote. The Steam version has full controller support. No voice control functionality.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Nintendo Switch and with PC, check out my post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 3.4/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Cozy Grove is available in many languages on a wide variety of platforms and controllers to choose from, though controls are not remappable unfortunately. With light and simple gameplay, neither fatigue or pain are much of a concern, though fishing is a little button-mashy. The lack of both voice acting and text settings may be an issue for gamers with limited vision, though the default text is decently sized and mostly quite clear to read.

Running creates some motion-sickness but isn’t required, the game feels more relaxing at a walking pace anyway. The inclusion of the “perpetual daytime” option helps with a few of the photosensitivity issues that occur during nighttime, though the fireflies and the intermittent rain animation may still be a concern. Beyond these accessibility issues, if you’re looking for another game similar to the Animal Crossing series, Cozy Grove is a relaxing, cute, and heartfelt choice.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/cozy-grove-accessibility-review-6783c48920c3

[ablegaming]

New Pokémon Snap accessibility review

Game title: New Pokémon Snap

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Languages: English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, simplified and traditional Chinese. Voice acting is available in either English or Japanese.

Age rating: ESRB E(veryone), PEGI 3

Multiplayer: No multiplayer gameplay, but players can upload and share their photos online.

Genre/theme: Nature photography, relaxing on-rails “shooter” gameplay, Pokémon information collection, and photo editing. The long awaited sequel to Pokémon Snap for Nintendo 64, New Pokémon Snap sees your character working with Professor Mirror and his assistant Rita, striving to discover and photograph the native Pokémon species and the fabled Illumina effect in the Lental region. The history of the Lental region is gradually revealed throughout the course of the game.

Violence: None

Maturity: No nudity, sexuality, swearing, or drug and alcohol references.

Difficulty modes: None

Complexity: Easy; can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. No worries if photo opportunities are missed, levels are intended to be played multiple times to photograph new Pokémon and to take even better photos.

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: Does not come with a manual in the case. The beginning tutorial is easy to follow and explains the core functions of the game well. Additional abilities are explained before the first few research expeditions. During each expedition you can reference the controls by selecting How To Play in the pause menu. Nav-Com updates from the professor during expeditions can be set to: Often, Sometimes, or Rarely. A small notification pops up when there’s something that can be scanned nearby, and even creates an arrow pointing in the direction of the object or Pokémon of interest.

The Photodex includes a map feature that shows where in each level you photographed each Pokémon, which is super useful for preparing to get an even better photo! During the photo rating phase, the cursor automatically gravitates towards the highest scoring photo, making photo selection a breeze. Save data can be expanded to make room for more photos, a prompt pops up when there is only room for a few more photos to be saved in your album.

Subtitles: Yes; primarily relies on subtitles.

Text customization: None. Dialogue text is medium-large in a white font over a shaded background for contrast. Menu text is medium size and black on an off-white background.

Voice acting: A small amount of voice acting is present during the dialogue scenes with the professor but it’s not actually a direct reading of the subtitles, and is mostly used for brief segues and adding a small amount of excitement to the scenes. The tutorial section with Rita is fully voice acted. Voice acting can be set to English, Japanese, or can be turned off entirely.

Volume settings: Background Music, Sound Effects, and Voices can all be adjusted and set from 0–10.

Photosensitivity: As is the case with any Pokémon game, New Pokémon Snap is unfortunately rife with photosensitivity issues. The prompt to press A to advance to the next line of dialogue flashes from red to yellow when the button is pressed. There is a bright light-to-dark screen wipe when selecting an expedition level.

The automated buggy that your character rides in uses teleportation to enter and exit out of a level and there’s a bit of a bright blue and white light show when this happens, though it can be skipped by pressing the + button. The buggy dome cover shimmers light blue in sectioned quadrants, but this is only visible when entering and exiting a level. Using the scan ability during a level results in a small bright flash when selecting a subject to get more information on.

When showing photos to the professor to be rated, there is a brief bright screen wipe when you click on a Pokémon’s photo folder. New photos have a bright wipe effect and have white and yellow sparkle flashes that appear continuously until you continue past this screen. When receiving a star rating on your photo the star appears with a small bright flash. There are also dim flashes of small diamond shapes that appear in the background of the scoring screen, these aren’t bright enough to be an issue but can be slightly disorienting. The progress towards leveling up screen flickers as it appears and leveling up results in a bright screen wipe.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & handheld), backlight (TV), contrast (TV), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: The initial settings menu that pops up when starting the game has a screen wipe effect that isn’t particularly bright, but is somewhat disorienting. During the tutorial a moving arrow is used to point out several things on screen, and this quick animation caused me a little bit of disorientation. Closing the photo rating screen wipes the screen quickly into a diamond shape in the center of the screen and this is also a little jarring.

The buggy moves at a very slow steady speed but may cause motion-sickness for some gamers. Camera speed and pointer speed can be adjusted and set from 1–10. Left and right thumbstick pitches can be inverted. Zoom mode can be set to Hold or Toggle. Frame Guide can be set to: Full, Normal, or Simple. There is a noticeable drop in framerate when aiming is set to motion controls, resulting in significantly less smooth camera swiveling. Motion-sickness can definitely be an issue when motion controls are set to a high level, I recommend keeping them below 6 to minimize this.

Additionally, the flapping of Vivillion’s wings is a very quick movement animation and can be a little hard on the eyes.

Colorblindness mode: None; color settings can only be adjusted in your TV settings menu.

Controller rumble: Yes; can also be turned off.

Remappable controls: Yes; there are 4 different control schemes to choose from.

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Very light, can be played for extended periods of time without pain or fatigue.

Adaptability and input: Controls are simple, well spaced out, and can be switched between the 4 different control schemes. Can be played one-handed, which may be easier using the Joycon controllers. The majority of the controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable.

Motion controls can be used to aim instead of the the right thumbstick, and motion control sensitivity can be set from 1–10 (default is 5). Motion control and thumbstick camera control can even be combined, as the thumbstick overrides motion controls when motion control is turned on.

Can be played with Switch Joycon controllers, controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required), Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required). Menus can be navigated using the touchscreen. No voice control functionality.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Switch, check out my recent post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 3.8/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Eschewing the series’ typical focus on battling for nature appreciation and photo editing, New Pokémon Snap is a relaxing and peaceful gaming experience for gamers of all ages. Controls are light and easy, causing little-to-no pain or fatigue, and can be somewhat customized. Partial voice acting is a welcome addition in a Pokémon title, though I do have to wonder when we’ll finally get a fully voice acted game. The lack of any text settings is disappointing (though unsurprising given the series’ history), but the text is a reasonable size and is fairly clear to read.

Unfortunately there are several instances of photosensitivity and motion-sickness issues, and these may be too much for gamers with medium-high light or motion sensitivity. The photo rating section has far too many screen wipes and flash effects, I found I had to look away from the screen for some of it, even with my TV’s brightness and contrast levels set to a low level. Though improving in a lot of accessibility aspects, almost every Pokémon game has a similar lack of concern for photosensitive gamers; I would sincerely love to see some improvements made in this regard in future releases.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/new-pok%C3%A9mon-snap-accessibility-review-e445b2986238

[ablegaming]

How Xbox is Stepping Up Their Game and Making Gaming More Accessible

A few days ago the official Xbox YouTube channel shared an incredible video with us, the Xbox Accessibility Showcase 2022:

In this new video, we learn about the Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Testing Service (MGATS), which is a program in which game developers submit their games to be tested, to see how they line up with the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines. This process gives them valuable feedback on which aspects of their game need to be worked on in order to be more accessible to a wider audience. MGATS connects developers not just with the Xbox Accessibility team, but with gamers that have disabilities as well, giving them the opportunity to offer important feedback on their gaming experience directly to designers in the industry. The MGATS program went live fully as of the airing of this video.

More information on the MGATS program can be found here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/accessibility/mgats

In addition to the MGATS program, Xbox has expanded their support page to include even greater support functionality for gaming on both Xbox and Windows PCs.

The Xbox Support page can be found here: https://support.xbox.com/en-US

We also learned about the UK-based charity Special Effect (https://www.specialeffect.org.uk), who works to test and develop innovative new ways to play games, even including eye movement-based gaming. Charities like this and Able Gamers (https://ablegamers.org) help children and adults with all kinds of challenges to overcome their struggles and to be able to play games, while encouraging healthy social interaction through gaming to help with feelings of isolation.

Special Effect partners with the Family Gaming Database, a website that reviews and catalogues the functions and content of all kinds of video games for parental reference (I’m working on a website that will function similarly, but will focus primarily on accessibility features, issues, and methods to overcome many of these issues).

The Family Gaming Database can be found here: https://www.taminggaming.com/en-us/home

The Accessibility Showcase also included interviews with two development teams who are focusing on including accessibility features in their games, the teams behind As Dusk Falls and Stories of Blossom. As Dusk Falls is currently available on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox X, and Xbox S. Stories of Blossom is set to be released in spring of 2023 for both Windows PC and Xbox platforms.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller was a massive success both for the accessibility community and for Xbox, allowing countless new and old gamers alike to be able to experience and enjoy gaming. The Adaptive Controller works with both the Xbox One console and Windows PCs, and offers two methods of input: the arcade-like layout of the buttons and control pads, as well as the ability to plug in and program a wide variety of controllers and electronics to each button command. These can also be mixed and matched with some functions played on the Adaptive Controller itself and some played on other button extensions.

More information on the Adaptive Controller can be found here: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/accessories/controllers/xbox-adaptive-controller

Following the success of the Adaptive Controller, Xbox developed their Xbox Accessibility Guidelines web page for developers to reference and work with during the design and testing processes. The Xbox Accessibility Guidelines provide game developers with the functions that need to be included in their game for full accessibility, and the parameters that these settings need to operate within.

These are the 23 categories of functionality that are focused on: Text display Contrast Additional channels for visual and audio cues Subtitles and captions Audio accessibility Screen narration Input Game difficulty options Object clarity Haptic feedback Audio description UI navigation UI focus handling UI context Error messages and destructive actions Time limits Visual distractions and motion settings Photosensitivity Speech-to-text/text-to-speech chat Communication experiences Accessible feature documentation Accessible customer support Mental health best practices

The Xbox Accessibility Guidelines can be found here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/accessibility/guidelines

We can only hope that having the current year attached to this new Accessibility Showcase video means that we’ll be getting annual accessibility updates going forward, and by the looks of things that may very well happen! Many of us worried that accessibility would fall by the wayside as a priority in the gaming industry, but Xbox is showing us that they’re serious about helping the widest range of gamers to be able to play! As their new slogan goes, “When everybody plays, we all win.”

I have no affiliation with Microsoft and Xbox, I’m just a disabled gamer who’s thrilled to see inclusive changes like these being made in the industry! Game on!

This post can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-xbox-is-stepping-up-their-game-and-making-gaming-more-accessible-5ff6935b94f7