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Naughty Dog has revealed the long list of accessibility features they are implementing for The Last of Us Part 1 when it hits PS5 next week. The studio aims to make the game “an accessible experience for blind players, for deaf players, for players with motor accessibility needs” and has even prototyped features to make the experience better.
The accessibility features included in The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us Part 1 Game Director Matthew Gallant explains how the team has tried to make the game as accessible as possible. One of the new features they’ve implemented is audio descriptions for cinematics for which they partnered with Descriptive Video Works. One feature they even prototyped was dialog being played through the DualSense controller as haptic feedback, so deaf players “can feel the way a line is delivered, can feel the emphasis, along with the subtitles to give some sense of how that line is delivered.”
The following is just a sample of the many features Naughty Dog is implementing in their game. You can find a full list on the PlayStation blog. There are three presets specifically geared towards players who are blind, deaf, or have motor accessibility needs. These include all of Naughty Dog’s recommended settings, but these can be tailored to a player’s own preferences:
Apply Vision Accessibility Preset
Configures all the recommended settings designed for players who are blind or have low vision. This will enable settings across multiple menus, such as:
- Screen Reader
- Cinematic Descriptions
- High Contrast Display
- HUD Scale > Large
- Lock-On Aim > Auto-Target
- Traversal and Combat Audio Cues
- Navigation and Traversal Assistance
- Ledge Guard
- Enhanced Listen Mode
- Invisibility Toggle
- Skip Puzzle Option
- Various adjustments in the Combat Accessibility menu
Apply Hearing Accessibility Preset
Configures all the recommended settings designed for players who are deaf or hard of hearing. This will enable settings across multiple menus, such as:
- Awareness Indicators
- Pick-Up Notifications
- Subtitles > Story + Combat
- Subtitle Names
- Subtitle Direction
- Combat Vibration Cues
Apply Motor Accessibility Preset
Configures all the recommended settings designed for players with a physical or mobility disability. This will enable settings across multiple menus, such as:
- Lock-On Aim > Auto-Target
- Auto Weapon Swap
- Auto Pick Up
- Camera Assist > On
- Navigation and Traversal Assistance
- Ledge Guard
- Infinite Breath
- Repeated Button Presses > Hold
- Melee Combos > Hold
- Weapon Sway > Off
- Skip Puzzle Option
- Various adjustments in the Combat Accessibility menu
As well as the presets, controller options are fully customizable with the player able to remap every controller input. Button holds can be changed into toggles, rapid button presses can be changed into holding a button down, and there are camera assist and lock-on aim options. Navigation Assistance will guide players along the golden path, while there are options to skip puzzles and traverse the environment more easily. Slow motion can make combat more accessible. There are five different difficulty levels, each of which can be further customized, and none of which will affect trophy availability.
Visually, players can alter the HUD size, color, and contrast; alter the contrast for other in-game elements; and even use a screen magnifier to zoom into any part of the screen using the DualSense touchpad. To reduce the likelihood of motion sickness, players can adjust camera shake, motion blur, camera follow distance, and field of view, as well as enable a persistent white dot to focus on. There are sound cues for traversal and combat to help blind players easily identify commonly used actions. The Screen Reader option is also available in 25 different languages.
In terms of sound, there are visual indicators for gameplay elements that would usually be communicated through audio. Awareness Indicators can show players when they’ve been spotted in stealth sections, as well as indicate the direction of high-threat enemies in combat. Subtitles come in different sizes and colors as well as speaker names and directional arrows for off-screen speakers.
In other news, Sony has revealed the contents of the DualSense Edge controller box. Elsewhere, the PS5 is the only console that will be getting a price increase before the holiday season.