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Xbox X|SWe've documented 28 accessibility features for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Guaranteed Progress, Low Pressure, Custom Difficulty and Select Difficulty. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Visual, Getting Started, Navigation, Difficulty 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 Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope accessibility 10 months ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 5 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
When you're moving through the overworld, enemies can chase you around and you have to run away or fight them in battle. While you could technically fight and defeat everyone you encounter, the game is designed with the expectation you'll run away, so quick reactions are needed for completing the story, unlike in the first game, where they were only necessary for getting 100%.
Like the first game, although you can complete the main story without the need for quick reactions, certain stages have additional bonus challenges you need to complete in a certain amount of time, which are both high in pressure and demand fast and precise reactions and inputs.
Text, including subtitles, is high in contrast but can be small at times. Although there are no colourblind modes, the game doesn't rely on colour alone to convey any information, using symbols and words as well.
You can't save mid-fight.
Game Details
Release Date: 20/10/2022
Out Now: Switch
Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Battle, Shooting, Strategy (Adventure, Fighting and Traversal)
Accessibility: 28 features
Components: 2D Side-On, Cartoon and Grid
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Controls in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
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.
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 Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Bad North (10 Controls Features)
- Marvel's Midnight Suns (9 Controls Features)
- Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (7 Controls Features)
- Bomber Crew (7 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Difficulty in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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.
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.
Getting Started
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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.
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Transformers: Battlegrounds (8 Getting Started Features)
- Beastieball (7 Getting Started Features)
- Rabbids Coding (7 Getting Started Features)
- Triangle Strategy (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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
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 Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (6 Reading Features)
- Wargroove (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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
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.
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
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. 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 Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Wargroove 2 (5 Navigation Features)
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong (5 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Visual in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Transformers: Battlegrounds (7 Visual Features)
- King Pins (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope 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 Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- King Pins (3 Audio Features)
- Genshin Impact (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.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall
