Lairchitect Sokpop Accessibility Report - Mac and PC

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Lairchitect

Accessibility Report

12 Accessibility Features

We've documented 12 accessibility features for Lairchitect, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Adjust Speed, No Button Combos, No Holds and Fully Subtitled (Or No Speech). Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, 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.

Lairchitect is a strategy game where you build defences in your dungeon to prevent heroes from taking your Soul Stones. It's a twist on dungeon role playing games, where instead of playing the hero you are the owner of the dungeon (like the classic Dungeon Keeper game) and control the monsters and traps within.

Our accessibility examiner, Andrea Walney, first checked Lairchitect (Sokpop) accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Simon Naus and updated 2 years ago.

Accessibility Notes

Lairchitect has 3 levels of increasing difficulty, plus an endless mode.

Game icons are very small and the 8-Bit style makes some objects difficult to distinguish from each other, especially when they are on the same block.

There are no instructions or tutorials within the game, so you may have to source internet videos or look to the Community page on Steam for guidance on how to play and strategies to employ.

The game does not save your progress within each level, it only saves the unlocks for each level.

Game Details

Release Date: 27/06/2020

Out Now: Mac and PC

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Creative, Strategy (Adventure, Fighting and Role-Play)

Accessibility: 12 features

Components: 2D Overhead

Developer: Sok Pop Co (@SokPopCo)

Costs: Purchase cost

Controls

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Controls in Lairchitect which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.

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).

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

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

Evil Genius 2 (12 Controls Features)
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (11 Controls Features)
Plants Vs. Zombies (10 Controls Features)
Guild of Dungeoneering (6 Controls Features)

Difficulty

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Lairchitect 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 Lairchitect, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:

Evil Genius 2 (3 Difficulty Features)
Bloons TD 6 (2 Difficulty Features)
Transformers: Battlegrounds (2 Difficulty Features)
Slice & Dice (1 Difficulty Feature)

Getting Started

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Getting Started in Lairchitect 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.

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.

Adjust Speed: Adjust the speed of the game at critical moments or throughout, or rewind play for a second attempt, to ease reaction times. By slowing the game, you have more time to interpret what is happening and then execute your actions. It also reduces the pressure on getting things right quickly or the first time you attempt them.

No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

If you want to play Lairchitect, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:

Evil Genius 2 (9 Getting Started Features)
Transformers: Battlegrounds (8 Getting Started Features)
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (7 Getting Started Features)
Slice & Dice (6 Getting Started Features)

Reading

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Lairchitect 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.

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 Lairchitect, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

Guild of Dungeoneering (5 Reading Features)
Loop Hero (5 Reading Features)
Transformers: Battlegrounds (5 Reading Features)
Dungeon and Puzzles (4 Reading Features)

Navigation

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Navigation in Lairchitect 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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

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

Guild of Dungeoneering (5 Navigation Features)
Dungeon and Puzzles (3 Navigation Features)
Evil Genius 2 (3 Navigation Features)
King Pins (3 Navigation Features)

Visual

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Visual in Lairchitect which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game. The following games are similar to Lairchitect, and offer accessibility features for Visual:

Shotgun King (8 Visual Features)
Transformers: Battlegrounds (7 Visual Features)
Guild of Dungeoneering (6 Visual Features)
King Pins (6 Visual Features)

Audio

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Lairchitect 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 Lairchitect, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:

Shotgun King (3 Audio Features)
Loop Hero (3 Audio Features)
Evil Genius 2 (3 Audio Features)
King Pins (3 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.

Read more about system accessibility settings.

Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andrea Walney