Kingdom Hearts Series Accessibility Report - PS2, PS3, PS4 and Xbox One

Android

iOS

Mac

Switch

Wii

Wii U

PS4

PS5

Xbox One

Xbox X|S

Kingdom
Hearts

Accessibility Report

21 Accessibility Features

We've documented 21 accessibility features for Kingdom Hearts, including Adjust Speed, Select Difficulty, Play Without Hearing, Colour Blind Friendly and Audio Cues. Its accessibility is strongest in Visual and Controls but it also has features in Getting Started, Reading, Navigation, Difficulty 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.

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games that combine video games and Disney characters in popular adventures. You play Sora, as he journeys with various Disney, Square Enix and Pixar characters and fights multiple incarnations of the game's villain, Xehanort.

External examiner, Angela Hickman Newnham, first checked Kingdom Hearts (Series) accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Angela Hickman Newnham and updated 2 years ago.

Accessibility Notes

The information provided here is for Kingdom Hearts 3, older titles in the series may have different features.

There is an option to slow down the game while you make selections in the shortcut command menus, but you cannot attack or evade while selecting. These menus for magic and links can be customised.

You do not have a game map available for a world until you find it, which reveals a small minimap. During travel on the gummiship there are on-screen point-of-interest and destination indicators with distances shown, as well as a small minimap with obstacles and enemies highlighted.

Game Details

Release Date: 28/03/2002, updated in 2019

Out Now: PS2, PS3, PS4 and Xbox One

Players: 1

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

Accessibility: 21 features

Components: 3D Third-Person

Developer: Square Enix (@SquareEnix)

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

Controls

We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in Kingdom Hearts 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.

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.

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.

Sensitivity

You can adjust

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

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

If you want to play Kingdom Hearts, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:

Marvel's Avengers (10 Controls Features)
New Super Lucky's Tale (9 Controls Features)
Destiny 2 (8 Controls Features)
Lies of P (7 Controls Features)

Difficulty

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Kingdom Hearts which deals 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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty

If you want to play Kingdom Hearts, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (3 Difficulty Features)
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (2 Difficulty Features)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2 Difficulty Features)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (2 Difficulty Features)

Getting Started

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in Kingdom Hearts 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.

Practice Area: You can practice freely without opponents or time pressures. This can be a specific practice option, or the ability to play levels with the easiest opponents to improve understanding and skill.

View Control Mapping: You can view a map of controls during play. This clearly displays the mappings of actions to buttons/keys/mouse/keyboard without having to leave the game. This includes games that always display buttons to press during play.

Adjust Speed: Adjust the speed of the game at critical moments or throughout, or rewind play for a second attempt, to ease reaction times. By slowing the game, you have more time to interpret what is happening and then execute your actions. It also reduces the pressure on getting things right quickly or the first time you attempt them.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

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

The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (6 Getting Started Features)
Beyond: Two Souls (6 Getting Started Features)
Ancient Dangers: A Bat's Tale (5 Getting Started Features)

Reading

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Kingdom Hearts 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.

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.

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 Kingdom Hearts, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

New Super Lucky's Tale (7 Reading Features)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (6 Reading Features)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (6 Reading Features)
Beyond: Two Souls (6 Reading Features)

Navigation

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Navigation in Kingdom Hearts 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.

Clarity

Clear Mission Objectives: The game provides clear, structured missions with directional guidance and advice on which can be attempted next. This also indicates (ideally on maps where they are provided) which missions can't be attempted because you do not have the appropriate items yet.

Menu Navigation

Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

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

Star Wars: The Old Republic (8 Navigation Features)
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (4 Navigation Features)
New Super Lucky's Tale (4 Navigation Features)

Visual

We've documented 6 accessibility features for Visual in Kingdom Hearts which deal 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.

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.

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.

Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.

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.

Audio

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Kingdom Hearts 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 Kingdom Hearts, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:

Star Wars: The Old Republic (3 Audio Features)
Genshin Impact (3 Audio Features)
Lies of P (2 Audio Features)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2 Audio Features)

System Accessibility Settings

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

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.

Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors @growingupgamers