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Xbox X|SWe've documented 13 accessibility features for Pokémon, including No Button Combos, Motion Aiming, Play Without Hearing, Speaker Indicator and Fully Subtitled (Or No Speech). Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Getting Started, Navigation, Visual and Audio 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.
External examiner, Nomi Gallagher, first checked Pokémon (Series) accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 9 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
The games provide the option to change the text speed, turn the gyroscope on/off and includes an autosave feature, but this only lets you save and not lose progress outside of battles. If you quit midway through a battle, even a very long one, you have to start it again when you next open the game.
The games also feature casual controls which enable you to play the game with only one side of the controller/with only one joy-con. Casual controls automatically remap the directional buttons (arrows) as the A, B, X and Y buttons and work for all aspects of the game. However, in this mode, you do lose access to the directional arrow buttons, though you can still complete the game in this mode.
Game Details
Release Date: 27/02/1996, updated in 2019
Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, DS, GBA, Game Boy and Switch
Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds
Players: 1 (4 online)
Genres: Battle, Collecting, Role-Play (Adventure, Fighting and Strategy)
Accessibility: 13 features
Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon
Developer: Game Freak Info (@GameFreak_Info)
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in Pokémon 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 & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.
Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.
Motion
Games that can be played with different sorts of motion controllers.
Motion Aiming: Can use small movements of the gamepad to fine-tune aiming or as the main aiming mechanism. This is sometimes known as Gyro-Aiming. This usually provides the ability to calibrate these controls to taste.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
Invert X/Y Axis: Can invert the direction required to control looking and aiming. This enables you to match your instinctive orientation when looking.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
No Simultaneous Buttons: Only one button or key required at a time, in addition to direction stick(s).
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Pokémon, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Craftopia (11 Controls Features)
- Slime Rancher 2 (8 Controls Features)
- Palworld (8 Controls Features)
- Paradise Marsh (8 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Pokémon 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. The following games are similar to Pokémon, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Palworld (3 Difficulty Features)
- Craftopia (2 Difficulty Features)
- Cassette Beasts (2 Difficulty Features)
- Fire Emblem Engage (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Pokémon 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 For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Bank Progress With Frequent Checkpoints: If you fail you can retry that level or aspect of the game without losing a lot of progress (less than 5 minutes). This is often provided via Frequent Checkpoints combined with restarting without losing time, equipment or score.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Pokémon, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Beastieball (7 Getting Started Features)
- Garden Story (7 Getting Started Features)
- Pokémon Sleep (5 Getting Started Features)
- Slime Rancher 2 (5 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Pokémon 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.
Simple Minimal Reading: Minimal reading is required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a primary/elementary student (9-year-old) could understand.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Pokémon, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Pokémon Unite (6 Reading Features)
- New Pokemon Snap (6 Reading Features)
- Pokémon Cafe Mix (6 Reading Features)
- Beastieball (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Pokémon which deals 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
Game Map: View a map of the game world during play, with the landscape, points of interest and missions highlighted throughout the entire game. This enables the orientation of the player and the world, confirming a direction of movement and the location of destinations or points of exploration.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Pokémon, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet (6 Navigation Features)
- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (6 Navigation Features)
- Paradise Marsh (5 Navigation Features)
- Beastieball (4 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Visual in Pokémon which deals with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Contrast
Medium Contrast: Game uses generally well contrasting and bright visuals, or has a slider to make this the case.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Pokémon, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Pokémon Sleep (7 Visual Features)
- Pokémon Unite (6 Visual Features)
- Floppy Knights (6 Visual Features)
- Pokémon Cafe Mix (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Pokémon which deals 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.
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 Pokémon, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Paradise Marsh (3 Audio Features)
- Craftopia (2 Audio Features)
- Adore (2 Audio Features)
- Slime Rancher 2 (2 Audio Features)
Communication
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Communication in Pokémon which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction. The following games are similar to Pokémon, and offer accessibility features for Communication:
- Pokémon Unite (2 Communication Features)
- Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet (1 Communication Feature)
- Temtem (1 Communication Feature)
- Adopt Me! (1 Communication Feature)
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.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson and Ben Kendall
