Nier: Automata Accessibility Report - PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

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Nier:
Automata

Accessibility Report

27 Accessibility Features

We've documented 27 accessibility features for Nier: Automata, including Control Assists, Select Difficulty, Remap Buttons, Play Without Hearing and Visual Cues. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Navigation, Audio, Difficulty, Getting Started and Visual to reduce unintended barriers.

This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.

Nier: Automata is a role-playing game, that span off from the Drakengard series. It's set in an alternate future where there is a war between alien machines and human androids. But this isn't a game about winning the war. It's more focused on the plight of a combat android, her companion, and a fugitive prototype.

External examiner, Jonah Monaghan, first checked Nier: Automata accessibility 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Ronald Brady and updated 3 years ago.

Accessibility Notes

Note that some of the accessibility options are locked behind difficulty levels. Features such as aim-assist are not available in hard mode. Other features such as auto-heal, auto-fire, and auto-attack are unavailable in modes above Easy. However, the difficulty does not impact your ability to see all of the endings.

Game Details

Release Date: 23/02/2017, updated in 2018

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Players: 1

Genres: Adventure, Role-Play (Action, Collecting, Fighting, Narrative and Shooting)

Accessibility: 27 features

Components: 3D Third-Person

Developer: Nie R Game (@NieRGame)

Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass

Controls

We've documented 11 accessibility features for Controls in Nier: Automata which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.

Gamepad

Can play with the following:

Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.

Remap Controls

Can customise the controls for the game as follows:

Select Preset Controller Mappings: You can select preset button layouts from options provided by the developer.

Remap Buttons: Can re-map all buttons so that you can use alternatives that better suit your play.

Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.

Remap One Action to Multiple Buttons: Can remap multiple buttons to perform the same action to reduce the need to memorise buttons and make the action easier to access.

Remap Game Menu Access: Can remap buttons to pause, access and navigate the game menu. This enables you to specify which buttons pop-up the game menu.Whether you can remap menu navigation buttons isn't considered here.

Invert X/Y Axis: Can invert the direction required to control looking and aiming. This enables you to match your instinctive orientation when looking.

Controller Vibration

Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.

Informative Vibration: Controller vibration indicates events or interactions in the game, echoing visual and audio cues. This can provide additional information about progress, approaching enemies or hitting a target.

Sensitivity

You can adjust

Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are.

Difficulty

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Nier: Automata which deal with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.

Difficulty Options

Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.

Adjust After Setting

Adjustable Anytime: You can adjust the difficulty while playing, without having to restart the level you are on. This enables you to quickly adjust the game to suit your needs and see the difference immediately.

Getting Started

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Nier: Automata which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.

Assistance Getting Starting

These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.

Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.

Assistance With Controls: The game can automatically assist with aiming, steering, reloading, jumping, running etc. This reduces the challenge of certain aspects of play to remove barriers and make control of characters more accessible.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

If you want to play Nier: Automata, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:

Ghostwire Tokyo (6 Getting Started Features)
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (5 Getting Started Features)
Elden Ring (5 Getting Started Features)
The Outer Worlds (4 Getting Started Features)

Reading

We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Nier: Automata which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.

Reading Level

How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.

Moderate Reading: Moderate reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a high school student (14-year-old) would appreciate.

Text Visibility

High Contrast Text: Text colour contrasts to the background or can be adjusted to be. The text in menus, instructions and other information is presented in high contrast with a solid background.

Subtitles

All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game): All spoken content has subtitles, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to hear spoken dialogue or narrative to play the game.

Captions

Speaker Indicator: Textual captions indicate who is speaking (or there is only ever one person speaking). This can also be indicated visually in the game with character icons or placing text in speech bubbles next to the person speaking.

Voice Acted

Some Dialogue is Voice Acted: Some of the game dialogue and narrative is voice acted. This reduces the pressure on reading all the dialogue text, although not everything is provided audibly.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading

If you want to play Nier: Automata, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

Ghostwire Tokyo (7 Reading Features)
The Outer Worlds (7 Reading Features)
Outriders (7 Reading Features)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (6 Reading Features)

Navigation

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Navigation in Nier: Automata which deal with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.

Head-Up Display

Head-Up Display Navigation: Indication of where to go next with overlaid arrows, minimaps and waypoint markers. This supplements in-game visual and audible cues with additional guidance about where you are and where you need to go.

Adjust Head-Up Display: Resize and adjust the content of the head-up display. This enables it to be made more visible. It can also enable the removal of too much information that can be distracting or confusing.

Menu Navigation

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

If you want to play Nier: Automata, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:

Ghostwire Tokyo (7 Navigation Features)
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (7 Navigation Features)
Deus Ex (4 Navigation Features)

Visual

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in Nier: Automata which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.

Audio Cues for Visual Events

Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.

Colour Options

Colour Blind Friendly: Game doesn’t rely on colour or can switch to colour blind friendly mode with double coding or similar way to avoid colour dependance.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

If you want to play Nier: Automata, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:

Ghostwire Tokyo (5 Visual Features)
Dark Souls II (4 Visual Features)
Dark Souls (4 Visual Features)
The Outer Worlds (4 Visual Features)

Audio

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Audio in Nier: Automata which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.

Adjustable Audio

Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.

Audio Events

Visual Cues for Audio Events: Text or other visual indicators of audio events. This mirrors audio indicators of progress in the game with a corresponding visual indication.

Play Without Hearing

Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio

If you want to play Nier: Automata, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Audio accessibility:

Ghostwire Tokyo (4 Audio Features)

System Accessibility Settings

In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:

Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch has some built-in features, including a lockable zoom, that can be used on all games.

PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.

PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).

Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.

Read more about system accessibility settings.