For Absolutely Everyone This Time
Video games are supposed to be for everyone, or at least, making them for everyone is great for your sales metrics. Accessibility has been a hot topic in games for a while, with different developers making different choices, all of which have managed to inflame one group or another. On that note, Naughty Dog is working to ensure that The Last of Us Part II reaches untold heights in accessibility standards.
A comprehensive article from The Verge covers around “60 different accessibility options in the game’s menu, covering things like controls, visual aids, audio clues, navigation and traversal, and combat.” Rather than make things too easy, this is all about making the game playable for players in a variety of circumstances. Even alternate visual settings for colorblind players can make a huge difference.
Naughty Dog took their first steps towards accessibility after the release of Uncharted 2. A player described their experience with an impossible play barrier imposed by a series of rapid inputs. By the time Uncharted 4 was released, the company had made massive strides in player accessibility. With the release of The Last of Us Part II on June 19th, they hope to raise that bar even higher.