Get Started...
Android
iOS
Mac
Switch
Wii
Wii U
PC
PS4
PS5
Xbox One
Xbox X|SWe've documented 35 accessibility features for Dead Space, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Large Subtitles, Control Assists, Select Difficulty and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Reading, Navigation, Difficulty, Getting Started 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 Dead Space (Series) accessibility 9 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
You can switch between toggle and hold options, and can also turn quick-time events where you need to mash the button to a single press. You still need to have relatively quick reactions to shoot at incoming enemies. The surround sound and 3D audio options can help you to identify the locations of nearby monsters.
You can only save at certain points throughout the game.
There are several difficulty levels which affect your health and the damage enemies deal to you. Although the lower difficulties make it easier to play, there are trophies attached to beating it on harder difficulties, and even the hardest one unlocked after beating the game. Therefore, it's impossible to 100% the game without playing on high difficulties.
There is aim assistance you can use to help target enemies. During zero-gravity sections, you run out of oxygen after a certain length of time. To compound this problem, the locator feature, which lights up a trail showing the route you need to take, doesn't work properly in these sections, so you can sometimes get lost in them, especially if you have low vision.
Dialogue is all subtitled, which can be made large and is high in contrast. Other text, however, can be smaller. Menu narration, but this doesn't always state all information; for example, in your inventory, it will read out the name of the item you select but not how many of it you have.
Many parts of the HUD that contain vital information can be small and hard to read and aren't narrated. Other aspects, such as the information on how much ammo you have left, can be remedied with specific options such as the ability to switch your weapon to a new one when your ammo runs out.
You can turn on a persistent centre dot that can help reduce motion sickness. In addition, screen shake can be disabled.
Game Details
Release Date: 13/10/2008, updated in 2023
Out Now: Android, PC, PS3, PS5, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox X|S and iOS
Players: 1
Genres: Shooting, Traversal (Action, Adventure, Fighting, Narrative and Simulation)
Accessibility: 35 features
Components: 3D Third-Person
Developer: Motive Studio (@MotiveStudio)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 10 accessibility features for Controls in Dead Space 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.
Remap Extra Mouse Buttons: Can remap additional buttons on mice that provide more than the two standard buttons, on systems that support these controls.
Remap Mouse Wheel: Can remap the mouse wheel to control aspects of the game when you move it up/down, 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.
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.
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 Dead Space, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- The Last Of Us Part II (12 Controls Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (11 Controls Features)
- Alan Wake II (11 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Dead Space 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 Anytime: You can adjust the difficulty while playing, without having to restart the level you are on. This enables you to quickly adjust the game to suit your needs and see the difference immediately.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Dead Space, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Difficulty accessibility:
- The Last Of Us Part II (3 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Dead Space 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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Dead Space, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- The Last Of Us Part II (11 Getting Started Features)
- The Last Of Us (5 Getting Started Features)
- Resident Evil 4 (4 Getting Started Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (3 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Reading in Dead Space 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
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.
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 Dead Space, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Reading accessibility:
- The Last Of Us Part II (7 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Navigation in Dead Space 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
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.
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
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
Digital Menu Navigation: Menu choices with Gamepad can be made without using an analogue stick to guide a cursor to a selection. For example, using D-Pad, buttons or the Stick to change menu selection in a single action.
Menu Narrated: All of the game menus can be narrated for easier navigation. The game menus can therefore be navigated without reading text.
Visual
We've documented 8 accessibility features for Visual in Dead Space which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Visual Distractions
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.
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.
Audio Depiction of Event Location: Indication with positional/stereo audio of where directional events are on the screen for things like damage, footsteps, environmental elements. This is useful for blind players.
Narration for Visual Elements
This is the audible narration of in-game text. Sometimes talk about as Text To Speech, although it may include the narration of no-textual elements. This is different to Text To Voice, which provides player-player textual communication audibly.
Menu Narrated: All of the game menus can be narrated for easier navigation. The game menus can therefore be navigated without reading text.
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.
Violence
Turn Off Blood: Reduce or disable graphic content of blood and gore.
Turn Off Dismemberment: Disable graphic depiction of dismembered bodies and corpses.
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Dead Space 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 Dead Space, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Resident Evil 4 (3 Audio Features)
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (3 Audio Features)
- Carrion (3 Audio Features)
- Dead by Daylight (3 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.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii has a few helpful settings, like disable rumble, but you have to use gesture controls for most games and the system menu.
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 5
PlayStation 5 has a range of system-wide accessibility settings.
Xbox Series X|S
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.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall
