December is a special month for me – a time to enjoy the holidays with loved ones, surprise them with meaningful gifts and make an attempt to tackle the ever-growing backlog of games. It is also a time to look back on the year’s best releases and appreciate games that broke the mold in accessibility and raised the bar for ingenuity. As 2024 draws to a close, however, accessibility in gaming has taken significant steps forward, with a number of titles now offering features tailored to a more varied player base.
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2024’s Most Accessible Games: Prince of Persia, Dragon Age, and More Lead the Way
Winner: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
The accessibility winner of 2024 is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which has redefined the Metroidvania genre. Ubisoft’s title offers up more individually adjustable controls, subtitles, and auditory cues for various attacks than the competition, but Odyssey’s killer features are the groundbreaking Memory Shard and Guided Mode. Latent binarization Memory Shards allow players to mark locations on the map, so they can keep track of areas where they can’t go, while Guided Mode highlights objectives and barriers in the world, which alleviates cognitive load. These bells and whistles make the exploration-heavy Metroidvania genre more approachable, so gamers of all skill levels can enjoy the experience without being overwhelmed.
Runners-up: Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon Age: The Veilguard by Bioware is a strong runner-up for possibly having the most approachable game based on its method of challenge design. A large collection of visual and audio features and settings—all from subtitle options to colorblind filters to melee and ranged enemy threat indicators—can also be found throughout the game. It also adds dynamic difficulty settings, letting gamers adjust the challenge in the game by modifying enemy resistance, health, and aggression. The level of customization ensures that disabled players can have a tailored experience that best suits them. Veilguard is a major advancement for the industry in terms of accessibility.
Runner-up: Botany Manor
Proving that you don’t need to break the bank to be inclusive, the charming puzzle game Botany Manor by Balloon Studios approaches accessibility with a level of thoughtfulness. This indie title offers full controller and keyboard support, single-stick play, and toggling sprint. The game removes time limits for puzzles, allowing players to take their time solving them without pressure. While lacking certain features like audio-based options for blind players, Botany Manor stands as an example of how small studios can make meaningful strides in accessibility.
FAQs
What makes the Prince of Persia accessible?
Memory Shards and Guided Mode help players navigate and reduce cognitive overload.
How does Botany Manor support accessibility?
It offers single-stick controls, no time limits on puzzles, and a relaxed pace.
