Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Series Accessibility Report - Android, PC, PS4, Xbox One and iOS

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iOS

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Xbox X|S

Ace Combat 7:
Skies Unknown

Accessibility Report

23 Accessibility Features

We've documented 23 accessibility features for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Select Difficulty, Audio Cues, Visual Directional Cues and Speaker Indicator. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Navigation, Difficulty, Getting Started, Visual, Communication 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.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the latest flying and shooting game in the Ace Combat series of games. It features lots of real-life aircraft to master and weather conditions that impact gameplay and controls, while still retaining a fast-paced arcade-like style of gameplay that forgoes some elements of realism for a more exciting and accessible experience.

Our accessibility examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (Series) accessibility 2 years ago.

Accessibility Notes

This report is based on the latest game, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

In each of the campaign levels, you can select from one of four difficulties ranging from Easy to Ace, and there is also a mode called Free Flight, where you can explore the map of each level with no enemies. This does not count as completing the level. You can also enable reduced collision damage. On any difficulty, you need to respond to changes in the gameplay, like a missile locking onto you, relatively quickly, and keeping track of enemy ships requires fast manoeuvring.

Much of the text throughout the game is quite small, and some of it is semi-transparent, making it almost unreadable in certain areas. Other text, including the subtitles, is white, which can make it very difficult to read against a cloudy backdrop while in flight.

The map in the game shows other ships clearly, and the HUD indicates very clearly the nearest target, giving its direction and distance. However, like the text in the game, it can be difficult to read depending on what's behind it.

When using the PSVR headset, you can use the PlayStation camera. You can select between two different control schemes: Standard and Expert. On the Expert control scheme, you can execute more advanced manoeuvers such as tighter rolls and high-g turns. You can also use a flight stick, in both normal and VR play, for a more immersive and realistic experience.

Game Details

Release Date: 30/06/1995, updated in 2019

Price: 80% off

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, Android, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Xbox 360, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Players: 1 (8 online)

Genres: Shooting, Traversal (Action, Adventure and Fighting)

Accessibility: 23 features

Components: 3D First-Person

Developer: Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS)

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

Controls

We've documented 6 accessibility features for Controls in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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.

Motion

Games that can be played with different sorts of motion controllers.

Motion Camera: Can use a camera controller like Xbox Kinect or PlayStation Camera. This can offer game control via hand gestures or body movement and position.

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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

If you want to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:

Lifeslide (12 Controls Features)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (12 Controls Features)
Drone The Game (9 Controls Features)
Minishoot Adventures (8 Controls Features)

Difficulty

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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 Between Levels: You can adjust the difficulty between levels/rounds. Although you have to restart your checkpoint or level, this enables you to adjust the difficulty after selecting it at the beginning of the game.

Getting Started

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

If you want to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:

Space Marauder (6 Getting Started Features)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (6 Getting Started Features)
No Man's Sky (6 Getting Started Features)
Minishoot Adventures (5 Getting Started Features)

Reading

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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.

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

All Dialogue is Voice Acted (Or No Speech In Game): All of the game dialogue and narrative can be voiced, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to read the dialogue and narrative text to play the game.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading

If you want to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

Space Marauder (7 Reading Features)
Space Wave Race (6 Reading Features)
Star Wars: Squadrons (6 Reading Features)

Navigation

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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.

Visual Directional Cues: Additional in-game visual cues that signpost where to go next and how close you are to arriving. This can be with camera movement to focus on your destination or important items. It can use light, breadcrumb trails, in-world pointers to identify your mission's target location.

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.

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 Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Navigation accessibility:

Star Wars: Squadrons (5 Navigation Features)

Visual

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

If you want to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:

Space Wave Race (9 Visual Features)
Thoth (7 Visual Features)
Minishoot Adventures (6 Visual Features)
Space Marauder (5 Visual Features)

Audio

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio

If you want to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:

Star Wars: Squadrons (4 Audio Features)
Minishoot Adventures (2 Audio Features)
Sky Force Reloaded (2 Audio Features)
Lifeslide (2 Audio Features)

Communication

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Communication in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction.

Player-to-Player Online Communication

This is how players communicate with each other in online games. This can be to plan strategy, chat as they play or co-ordinate resources.

Voice Chat: Chat to other players on your team or friends list by speaking with headset.

Online Communication Assistance

Ping Communication: Send quick preset messages to teammates as safer alternative to open communication.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Communication

If you want to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, but it doesn't offer the Communication accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Communication accessibility:

Star Wars: Squadrons (5 Communication 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.

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.

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.