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GAMES Grounded ACCESSIBILITY REPORT
Grounded Accessibility Report
We've documented 39 accessibility features for Grounded in the Controls, Difficulty, Getting Started, Reading, Navigation, Visual, Audio and Communication areas to aid enjoyment of the game for different players. 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.
Grounded is a survival game where you are tiny and find yourself in someone’s back garden. It’s like Honey I Shrunk The Kids meets Fortnite. Ants, cockroaches, and bees pose a threat along with environmental hazards like water, tall grass and large drops.
Accessibility Notes
You can set or customise the game difficulty. All Recipies Unlocked and Free, for example, offers a free-play mode with everything available. You can disable Bugs Spawn to turn this aspect of play off. You can turn off Player Damage and Hunger/Thirst/Stamina Drain. Together these offer a God-like mode where you can't die.
The game includes spiders but you can use the Arachnophobia Safe Mode to change the look and sounds of the spiders and make them less triggering.
Certain game elements will be altered to be more legible for one of three types of colourblindness. Currently, this mode shifts to a set of distinct colours that remain the same regardless of SCA.B flavor or color deficiency selected. Options: None, Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia.
There are the following aspects of narration:
- Read to Me: The game narrates the text content of on-screen elements.
- Chat Text to Speech: Incoming text chat will also be read aloud by the narrator.
- Chat Speech to Text: Incoming voice chat will also be displayed as chat messages.
The game offers onboarding that asks you to set accessibility options before you start.
Grounded
Game Details
Release Date: 28/07/2020, updated in 2022
Platforms: PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
Content Rating: PEGI 12
Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds
Players: 1 (4 online)
Genres: Action, Strategy (Adventure, Fighting, Shooting and Simulation)
Accessibility: 39 features
Components: 3D First-Person, 3D Third-Person, Cartoon, Day and Night and Open World
Developer: Grounded The Game (@GroundedTheGame)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
To complete the main campaign of the game you need to use a minimum of:
- PC: 16 keys, 2 buttons and 1 mouse.
- Xbox: 12 buttons, 2 triggers and 2 sticks.
- Toggle Crouch: Crouching becomes a toggle rather than a button hold.
- Toggle Sprint: Sprinting becomes a toggle rather than a button hold.
| Action | Xbox | PC | Notes | Required |
| Jump / Vault | A Button | Spacebar | ✔ | |
| Fly - Glide | A Button | Shift (Left) Key | Jump with A then press A to toggle gliding. | ✔ |
| Sprint | Left Stick Press | Shift (Left) Key | Hold by default but can set to Toggle. N toggles autosprint. | ✔ |
| Crouch | Right Stick Press | Ctrl (Left) Key | Hold by default but can set to Toggle. | ✔ |
| Throw Item / Grenade | Right Bumper | R Key | ✔ | |
| Movement | Left Stick | WASD Keys | ✔ | |
| Navigation Trail/Guide | D-Pad Down + Right Stick | Y Key | On Xbox accessed via Executables quick menu. | ✔ |
| Aim / Look / Camera | Right Stick | Mouse Movement | ✔ | |
| Block | Left Trigger | Right Mouse Button | ✔ | |
| Hit / Melee | Right Trigger | Left Mouse Button | ✔ | |
| Interact | X Button | E Key | ✕ | |
| Aim Select Camera | Y Button | Look around. | ✕ | |
| Destroy / Trash | B Button | X Key | ✕ | |
| Chat (Select Preset Text) | D-Pad Right + Right Stick | ✕ | ||
| Chat (Voice) | Alt Key | ✕ |
| Build | Xbox | PC | Notes | Required |
| Build Place Item | X Button | Left Mouse Button | ✕ | |
| Build Rotate Item | Right Trigger + Left Trigger + Y Button | G Key + E Key + Q Key | Also use Y/G to flip building. | ✕ |
| Build Snap to Grid | Left Bumper | Ctrl (Left) Key | ✕ | |
| Build Change Item | Right Bumper | F Key | ✕ |
| Menu | Xbox | PC | Notes | Required |
| Menu - Start Game | Menu Button | ✔ | ||
| Menu - Select/Advance | A Button | Spacebar | ✔ | |
| Menu - Back/Undo | B Button | Escape | ✔ | |
| Menu - Close | B Button | Escape | ✔ | |
| Menu - Previous Page | Left Bumper | Q Key | ✔ | |
| Menu - Next Page | Right Bumper | E Key | ✔ | |
| Menu - Navigate | D-Pad + Left Stick | Left Mouse Button + Cursor Keys + Mouse Movement | ✔ |
| Swimming | Xbox | PC | Notes | Required |
| Swim Up | Spacebar | ✔ | ||
| Swim Down | Ctrl (Left) Key | ✔ |
| Wheel Menu | Xbox | PC | Notes | Required |
| Select Item | Left Bumper + Right Stick | Q Key | On Xbox use Left Bumper to access Hotpouch wheel. | ✔ |
| Chat (Select Preset Text) | Right Stick + D-Pad Right | Left Mouse Button + T Key | ✕ | |
| Menu - Open Menu | D-Pad Down + Menu Button + Right Stick | Left Mouse Button + Z Key | Open Executables (Map/Crafting/Inventory Shortcut) wheel with D-Pad Left, use Right Stick to highlight and A to select. | ✕ |
| Chat (Select Emote) | D-Pad Left + Right Stick | H Key + Left Mouse Button | Open Emote wheel with D-Pad Left, use Right Stick to highlight and A to select. | ✕ |
| Build Change Item | D-Pad Up + Right Stick | B Key + Left Mouse Button | Open Construction wheel with D-Pad Left, use Right Stick to highlight and A to select. | ✕ |
| Select Weapon / Ammo | Left Trigger + Right Stick | L Key + Left Mouse Button | Open Ammo wheel with D-Pad Left, use Right Stick to highlight and A to select. | ✕ |
Similar Games Requiring Fewer Controls
If you want to play games like Grounded, but with fewer controls required, the following similar games are worth considering:
We've documented 9 accessibility features for Controls in Grounded 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
Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.
Mouse And Keyboard
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 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.
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.
Sensitivity
You can adjust
Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity, Deadzones and Thresholds: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are and the related deadzones and thresholds.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Grounded, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Controls accessibility:
Difficulty
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Grounded 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.
Customise Difficulty: Customise different aspects of the game to create a challenge of an appropriate level. Adjusting elements individually enables you to tailor gameplay to suit your needs and style of play.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Grounded, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Difficulty accessibility:
Getting Started
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in Grounded 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.
Onboarding Before Play
Before you are presented with the home screen, onboarding settings aim to aid you accessing the menus you need to adjust the game to your requirements. They can also provide an easier way of turning on important adjustments without digging through menus.
Onboarding: The first time you open the game, you are asked to confirm options for control, navigation and accessibility settings. Games can differ in what they present at this stage, but will count for this, provided they include a streamlined onboarding process.
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 For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Guaranteed Progress With God Mode: There is no fail state for any game level, where you lose progress or have to start again. Or there are options to make failing impossible: infinite health or lives, unlimited time. Sometimes called God Mode or Unfailable.
Bank Progress With Frequent Checkpoints: If you fail you can retry that level or aspect of the game without losing a lot of progress (less than 5 minutes). This is often provided via Frequent Checkpoints combined with restarting without losing time, equipment or score.
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 Grounded, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
Reading
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Grounded 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. This doesn't include subtitles as required reading if they are fully voiced.
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.
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
Some Speech Subtitled: Some spoken content has subtitles. This reduces the pressure on interpreting all the spoken content, although not everything is captured textually.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Grounded, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
Navigation
We've documented 8 accessibility features for Navigation in Grounded 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
Adjust Head-Up Display: Resize and adjust the content of the head-up display. This enables it to be made more visible. It can also enable the removal of too much information that can be distracting or confusing.
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
Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.
Digital Menu Navigation: Menu choices with Gamepad can be made without using an analogue stick to guide a cursor to a selection.
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 6 accessibility features for Visual in Grounded which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
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.
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
Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.
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.
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Grounded 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 Grounded, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
Communication
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Communication in Grounded 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.
No Online Chat (Or Preset Phrases Only): Game is played online but no verbal or textual player communication. This includes games that offer no communication or communication with word-less icons, sounds or preset phrases.
Text Chat: Chat to other players by typing text.
Voice Chat: Chat to other players on your team or friends list by speaking with headset.
Online Communication Assistance
Text-to-speech: Convert text messages from other players to voiced messages. Game converts text typed by the player into synthesized audio that's read aloud to all other players in the voice channel. This feature allows players who can't speak verbally to have their thoughts expressed aloud to the rest of the players in their party.
Speech-to-text: Convert voice from other players to text messages. Transcribes incoming speech from other players into text onscreen in real time. Players who can't hear voice chat can read what other players have said aloud on their screen.
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.
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 @Black1976, Jo Robertson and @GeekDadGamer
