We've documented 17 accessibility features for Universal Paperclips, including Large Text, No Holds, One Tap Targeted, Play Without Hearing and Colour Blind Friendly. Its accessibility is strongest in Visual and Controls but it also has features in Reading, Getting Started, Navigation 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.
Our accessibility examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Universal Paperclips accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
The Split Tap VoiceOver setting can be helpful to reduce the strain of a large number of clicks. Instead of selecting an item and double-tapping, split-tap enables you to hold an item with one finger, and then tap the screen with another finger.
Game Details
Release Date: 09/10/2017
Out Now: Android, Web and iOS
Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Simulation, Strategy (Adventure and Point-and-Click)
Accessibility: 17 features
Components: 2D Side-On and Text
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Controls in Universal Paperclips which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Mouse And Keyboard
Can play with the following:
Mouse Alone: Can play with just the mouse/mouse-button/mouse wheel.
Touchscreen
Can play with the following. Additional gestures may be required for games played with a screenreader like VoiceOver.
One Tap Targeted: Can play with touchscreen, tap in specific locations.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
Holding Down Buttons Optional: Holding down buttons for prolonged periods (a second or more) is not required or can be switched to toggling the action on and off. This is in addition to the movement stick/button which is not considered a hold for this purpose.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Universal Paperclips, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (11 Controls Features)
- Island Saver (6 Controls Features)
- Home Quest (5 Controls Features)
- Forager (5 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Universal Paperclips 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 Universal Paperclips, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
Getting Started
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Getting Started in Universal Paperclips which deals 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.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Universal Paperclips, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Home Quest (7 Getting Started Features)
- Island Saver (7 Getting Started Features)
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (7 Getting Started Features)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (7 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Universal Paperclips 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.
Text Visibility
Large Clear Text: All essential text is large and clear or can be adjusted to be. The general text used throughout the game in menus, instructions and other key information (excluding subtitles that are assessed separately) is at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height on landscape screens and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Universal Paperclips, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (6 Reading Features)
- A Dark Room (6 Reading Features)
- Forager (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Universal Paperclips 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.
Clarity
Large Clear Navigation: The in-game navigation and maps are clear to read. They offer large text and offer markers that are large and of high contrast. Where text or information is small, there are settings to zoom-in and increase visibility.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Universal Paperclips, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Home Quest (3 Navigation Features)
- A Dark Room (3 Navigation Features)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 8 accessibility features for Visual in Universal Paperclips which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Interactive Elements
Large Game Elements: Game characters and other elements are large and distinguishable. Enemies and player characters are at least 1/6 of the height of the screen. Or there is a zoom feature to make them larger.
Outline Interactive Elements: Characters, platforms and enemies can be outlined or highlighted for visibility. This can be with a large border around the character or a special visual mode that adjust the colour to make characters more visible.
Visual Distractions
No Flashes: No flashing strobe effects or you can disable them. This includes the absence of flashing from dramatic visual effects, explosions or weather effects like lightning.
No Screen Shake: No screen shake effect or it is included but it can be disabled. This includes the absence of screen shake for dramatic effect as well as to indicate hits on a target.
No Busy Backgrounds: No distracting backgrounds or you can make them static or blank. This includes the absence of other movement elements in the background that might distract or confuse the action. Where foreground contrast is high, this includes games with some movement in the background that doesn't make it overly difficult to distinguish what is happening.
Motion Sickness Friendly
Motion Sickness Friendly: Doesn't have 3D movement elements that may trigger motion sickness, like motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision. Or includes the ability to disable motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision effects.
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.
Play Without Sight
Play Without Sight on iOS with VoiceOver: The game can be played without sight by fully supporting the built-in VoiceOver screen reader on iOS. This includes clear text on buttons and intuitive navigation so VoiceOver can be used to read all interactive elements.
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Universal Paperclips 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 Universal Paperclips, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Island Saver (4 Audio Features)
- Forager (2 Audio Features)
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (2 Audio Features)
- Sim City (2 Audio Features)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
Android
Android has accessibility settings including ways to navigate and interact, although not all games support this.
iOS
iOS has a very extensive suite of accessibility settings including ways to navigate with voice and comprehensive screen reading, though most of the features don't work with games.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson