We've documented 21 accessibility features for Swordy Quest, including Large Subtitles, Large Text, Low Pressure, One Tap Targeted and Play Without Hearing. Its accessibility is strongest in Visual and Reading but it also has features in Navigation, Getting Started, Controls 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, Andy Robertson, first checked Swordy Quest accessibility 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
Although the game is low pressure and reaction time not generally critical, you do need timed reactions for hunting, fishing, and fighting.
Game Details
Release Date: 10/12/2020
Out Now: iOS
Players: 1
Genres: Adventure, Role-Play (Collecting, Narrative, Puzzle and Strategy)
Accessibility: 21 features
Components: 2D Overhead and Grid
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Controls in Swordy Quest which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Touchscreen
Can play with the following. Additional gestures may be required for games played with a screenreader like VoiceOver.
One Tap Targeted: Can play with touchscreen, tap in specific locations.
Controller Vibration
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Swordy Quest, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- West of Loathing (9 Controls Features)
- Subnautica (8 Controls Features)
- Thousand Threads (7 Controls Features)
- Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (7 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Swordy Quest 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 Swordy Quest, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (2 Difficulty Features)
- Outward (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Subnautica (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Getting Started in Swordy Quest 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.
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.
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 Swordy Quest, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- West of Loathing (9 Getting Started Features)
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (6 Getting Started Features)
- The Kingdom of Istyald (6 Getting Started Features)
- Thousand Threads (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Swordy Quest 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.
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
Large Clear Subtitles: Subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast. They are at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height of a landscape screen and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens, or can be adjusted to be. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters. Considered separately from the general text of the game, the subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Swordy Quest, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- The Kingdom of Istyald (6 Reading Features)
- Octopath Traveler II (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in Swordy Quest 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.
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Swordy Quest, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Navigation accessibility:
- Thousand Threads (8 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Visual in Swordy Quest 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.
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.
No Busy Backgrounds: No distracting backgrounds or you can make them static or blank. This includes the absence of other movement elements in the background that might distract or confuse the action. Where foreground contrast is high, this includes games with some movement in the background that doesn't make it overly difficult to distinguish what is happening.
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.
Play Without Sight
Play Without Sight on iOS with VoiceOver: The game can be played without sight by fully supporting the built-in VoiceOver screen reader on iOS. This includes clear text on buttons and intuitive navigation so VoiceOver can be used to read all interactive elements.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Swordy Quest, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Ord (8 Visual Features)
- Thousand Threads (7 Visual Features)
- Pilgrims (7 Visual Features)
- West of Loathing (7 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Swordy Quest 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 Swordy Quest, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- The Kingdom of Istyald (3 Audio Features)
- Thousand Threads (3 Audio Features)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
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 Andy Robertson