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Xbox X|SWe've documented 27 accessibility features for Apico, including Large Subtitles, Large Text, Low Pressure, No Quick Reactions and Control Assists. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, Visual, 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, Ben Kendall, first checked Apico accessibility 20 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
You can choose how regularly the game autosaves, with the minimum being every five minutes. In addition, you can save and quit at any time.
Focus mode means only one menu is able to be open at any one time, reducing the amount of information that needs to be taken in at once
You can view a map at any point, and although some items on it are fairly small, it offers detailed information about your location and the locations of other important places, people, and more.
The game has a tutorial section that lists lots of objectives that can be completed to better your understanding of the game. This continues to become the objectives list for the game, which, although it does not need to be followed, can give guidance on what to do.
You can enable an option that allows you to walk through trees.
Game Details
Release Date: 20/05/2022, updated in 2022
Out Now: Mac, PC, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S
Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds
Players: 1 (4 online)
Genres: Simulation, Strategy (Collecting, Creative, Role-Play and World Building)
Accessibility: 27 features
Components: 2D Overhead, Day and Night, Grid and Pixels
Developer: T Ngineers (@TNgineers)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Controls in Apico 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:
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.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing (more than 2 times a second) is not required, can be skipped or switched to holding a button to trigger a repeated action.
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 Apico, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Minecraft (11 Controls Features)
- Rootown (9 Controls Features)
- Botany Manor (8 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Apico 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 Apico, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Minecraft (3 Difficulty Features)
- Timberborn (2 Difficulty Features)
- Lueur and the Dim Settlers (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Imagine Earth (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Getting Started in Apico 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.
Reaction-Time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions, or there are settings to lower the requirement for quick reactions. This means you don't need to quickly press a button in response to an on-screen prompt, target a fast-moving target or skillfully complete a scenario against the clock.
Low Pressure: Game tasks aren't time-limited or there's a low-pressure mode. This avoids the pressure of being put on the clock for overarching missions, or failing tasks because you didn't reach a destination in time.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
Assistance For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Save Progress Anytime: The game automatically saves progress or you can save any time. This doesn’t mean you never lose progress, but it does mean you can stop whenever you want (without having to get to a save point) without losing progress.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Apico, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Lueur and the Dim Settlers (11 Getting Started Features)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (7 Getting Started Features)
- Minecraft (7 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Reading in Apico 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
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.
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
Large Clear Subtitles: Subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast. They are at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height of a landscape screen and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens, or can be adjusted to be. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters. Considered separately from the general text of the game, the subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast.
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.
Navigation
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Navigation in Apico 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.
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.
Menu Navigation
Menus Don't Wrap: Menus don't wrap and stop the cursor at the bottom of the list if you press down. Or menus do wrap but make it clear that you are back at the top of the list with sound or narration.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Apico, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Lake of Creatures (7 Navigation Features)
- Minecraft (7 Navigation Features)
- Hello Kitty: Island Adventure (4 Navigation Features)
- Wayfinder (4 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Visual in Apico 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.
Visual Distractions
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Apico, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Rootown (8 Visual Features)
- One Hour One Life (8 Visual Features)
- Pokémon Sleep (7 Visual Features)
- Townscaper (7 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Apico 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.
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 Apico, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- One Hour One Life (4 Audio Features)
- Minecraft (4 Audio Features)
- Bugsnax (3 Audio Features)
Communication
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Communication in Apico 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 Apico, and offer accessibility features for Communication:
- Minecraft (3 Communication Features)
- Sun Haven (1 Communication Feature)
- Animal Crossing: City Folk (1 Communication Feature)
- Animal Crossing (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.
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.
Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
Xbox Series X|S
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 Ben Kendall
