We've documented 24 accessibility features for Call of the Sea, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Low Pressure, No Quick Reactions, No Button Combos and No Holds. 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 Call of the Sea accessibility 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
With many of the puzzles, lots of the information is displayed as text. While it contrasts well (either black on white or white on black), it isn't particularly large and can't be adjusted. Additionally, much of it is written in a cursive, handwritten style that can make it hard to read. The subtitles, while not in this cursive font, are overlaid directly over the gameplay, so they can be difficult to read if they are a similar colour to your current location (ie. white sand).
The island is bright and high contrast, and its cartoon style allows each item to be easily distinguishable from others. Some interactive items are highlighted with small white dots or lights, especially in the opening sections of the game. When in a puzzle, the background is static, or you are zoomed in so only the puzzle is visible.
Game Details
Release Date: 12/08/2020, updated in 2020
Out Now: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox X|S
Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Adventure, Narrative (Communication and Puzzle)
Accessibility: 24 features
Components: 3D Third-Person
Developer: Out Blue Games (@OutBlueGames)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 10 accessibility features for Controls in Call of the Sea 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.
Swap Sticks: Can swap the sticks over so that you can use the opposite sticks to control the game.
Remap Sticks: Can remap the stick controls to controller buttons for easier access of direction controls.
Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.
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
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.
No Simultaneous Buttons: Only one button or key required at a time, in addition to direction stick(s).
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 Call of the Sea, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Sensorium (12 Controls Features)
- Simpler Times (11 Controls Features)
- Frog's Princess (11 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Call of the Sea 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 Call of the Sea, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (2 Difficulty Features)
- Kraken Academy (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in Call of the Sea 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.
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.
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.
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 Call of the Sea, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Frog's Princess (8 Getting Started Features)
- Simpler Times (7 Getting Started Features)
- Beacon Pines (6 Getting Started Features)
- Genesis Noir (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Call of the Sea 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
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
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
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 Call of the Sea, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Harmonium: The Musical (7 Reading Features)
- Simpler Times (7 Reading Features)
- Season: A Letter to the Future (7 Reading Features)
- The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Call of the Sea 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.
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 Call of the Sea, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Harmonium: The Musical (5 Navigation Features)
- Beacon Pines (4 Navigation Features)
- Kraken Academy (4 Navigation Features)
- Simpler Times (3 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Visual in Call of the Sea 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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Call of the Sea, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Frog's Princess (9 Visual Features)
- Clawfish (7 Visual Features)
- Closed Hands (6 Visual Features)
- Harmonium: The Musical (5 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Call of the Sea 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 Call of the Sea, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Harmonium: The Musical (3 Audio Features)
- Simpler Times (3 Audio Features)
- Frog's Princess (3 Audio Features)
- The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (2 Audio Features)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
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).
PlayStation 5
PlayStation 5 has a range of system-wide accessibility settings.
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