We've documented 15 accessibility features for Oxenfree, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Large Text, No Repeated Pressing, No Holds and One Motion Targeted. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Getting Started, Navigation, Visual 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.
Game Details
Release Date: 14/01/2016, updated in 2016
Out Now: Android, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iOS
Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Narrative, Puzzle (Adventure, Sequencing and Traversal)
Accessibility: 15 features
Components: 3D Third-Person
Developer: Night Schoolers (@NightSchoolers)
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in Oxenfree 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.
Touchscreen
Can play with the following. Additional gestures may be required for games played with a screenreader like VoiceOver.
One Motion Targeted: Can play with touchscreen, tap and swipe or hold gesture.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Oxenfree, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Wytchwood (19 Controls Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (11 Controls Features)
- My Friendly Neighborhood (10 Controls Features)
- Call of the Sea (10 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Oxenfree 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 Oxenfree, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2 Difficulty Features)
- Phasmophobia (2 Difficulty Features)
- My Friendly Neighborhood (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Oxenfree 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 For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
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 Oxenfree, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (7 Getting Started Features)
- Wytchwood (7 Getting Started Features)
- Beacon Pines (6 Getting Started Features)
- My Friendly Neighborhood (5 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Oxenfree 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
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. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters.
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 Oxenfree, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Pentiment (6 Reading Features)
- Goodbye Volcano High (6 Reading Features)
- Knights And Bikes! (6 Reading Features)
- Luigi's Mansion (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Oxenfree 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Oxenfree, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- My Friendly Neighborhood (6 Navigation Features)
- Wytchwood (6 Navigation Features)
- Luigi's Mansion 3 (4 Navigation Features)
- Luigi's Mansion 2 (4 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Visual in Oxenfree which deals with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
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 Oxenfree, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- My Friendly Neighborhood (7 Visual Features)
- A Dark Room (7 Visual Features)
- Verne: The Shape of Fantasy (6 Visual Features)
- Wytchwood (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Oxenfree 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.
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 Oxenfree, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (3 Audio Features)
- Goodbye Volcano High (3 Audio Features)
- 10 Dead Doves (2 Audio Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (2 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 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.
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).
Xbox One
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 Jonah Monaghan