Katana Zero Accessibility Report - Mac, PC, Switch and Xbox One

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Katana
Zero

Accessibility Report

13 Accessibility Features

We've documented 13 accessibility features for Katana Zero, including Select Difficulty, Remap Buttons, Play Without Hearing, Audio Cues and Multiple Buttons & Single Stick. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Audio, Difficulty and Navigation 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.

Katana Zero is a noir-styled fighting game where you are a samurai assassin. At (literally) breakneck speed you slash, dash and jump your way through side-on missions. The twist is if you die the game rewinds time and you try that loop again.

Our accessibility examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Katana Zero accessibility 22 months ago.

Accessibility Notes

This is a difficult game where one shot will kill you. But you can then rewind and start the section again, losing quite a bit of progress. There are difficulty settings but only to make it harder once you have beaten the game. You can use a limited slow motion feature to make hitting bullets and enemies easier. You can also opt for the game to pause temporarily when you kill someone.

The game provides direction on where to go with a large pink arrow.

Game Details

Release Date: 18/04/2019

Out Now: Mac, PC, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 15+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Fighting, Platform (Action and Traversal)

Accessibility: 13 features

Components: 2D Side-On and Pixels

Developer: Askiisoft (@Askiisoft)

Costs: Purchase cost

Controls

We've documented 6 accessibility features for Controls in Katana Zero 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 & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

Keyboard Alone: Can play with just the keyboard.

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.

Controller Vibration

Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.

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 Katana Zero, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:

Severed Steel (11 Controls Features)
Bleak Sword DX (10 Controls Features)
ScourgeBringer (9 Controls Features)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (9 Controls Features)

Difficulty

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Katana Zero which deals 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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty

If you want to play Katana Zero, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (3 Difficulty Features)
Advent Neon (2 Difficulty Features)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (2 Difficulty Features)
Nuclear Blaze (2 Difficulty Features)

Getting Started

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Getting Started in Katana Zero 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. The following games are similar to Katana Zero, and offer accessibility features for Getting Started:

Advent Neon (8 Getting Started Features)
ScourgeBringer (8 Getting Started Features)
Celeste (7 Getting Started Features)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (5 Getting Started Features)

Reading

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Reading in Katana Zero 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. The following games are similar to Katana Zero, and offer accessibility features for Reading:

Nuclear Blaze (6 Reading Features)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (5 Reading Features)
Sifu (5 Reading Features)
Celeste (5 Reading Features)

Navigation

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Katana Zero 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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

If you want to play Katana Zero, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:

Severed Steel (5 Navigation Features)
Sifu (5 Navigation Features)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (4 Navigation Features)
Bleak Sword DX (4 Navigation Features)

Visual

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Visual in Katana Zero 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

Outline Interactive Elements: Characters, platforms and enemies can be outlined or highlighted for visibility. This can be with a large border around the character or a special visual mode that adjust the colour to make characters more visible.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

If you want to play Katana Zero, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:

Severed Steel (7 Visual Features)
Bleak Sword DX (6 Visual Features)
ScourgeBringer (6 Visual Features)
Super Meat Boy (5 Visual Features)

Audio

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Katana Zero 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 Katana Zero, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:

Severed Steel (3 Audio Features)
Dead Cells (3 Audio Features)
Ape Out (3 Audio Features)

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.

Read more about system accessibility settings.

Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson