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Xbox X|SWe've documented 23 accessibility features for This is a True Story, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Low Pressure, No Quick Reactions, No Button Combos and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Getting Started and Controls but it also has features in Reading, 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.
Our accessibility examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked This is a True Story accessibility 19 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
The text throughout is large, although not 1/20th the size of the screen, and is always high contrast.
the game is entirely linear, so it's always clear where to go, and part of the head-up display gives you a clear indication of how far t is to go until you reach the river. It's important to note that you have to go there and back.
The game has a painterly art style that makes the background static, but also means that some objects can blend together and do not contrast well.
You cannot adjust the sound, merely turn it on and off.
Game Details
Release Date: 22/03/2022
Out Now: Android and iOS
Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Narrative, Traversal (Adventure and Puzzle)
Accessibility: 23 features
Components: 2D Side-On, Hand-Made and Weather
Developer: Hello Frosty Pop (@HelloFrostyPop)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Controls in This is a True Story 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 Motion Targeted: Can play with touchscreen, tap and swipe or hold gesture.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
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).
Controller Vibration
Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play This is a True Story, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Hindsight (9 Controls Features)
- Humankind (8 Controls Features)
- Leaving Lyndow (7 Controls Features)
- Stray (7 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in This is a True Story 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 This is a True Story, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Humankind (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Getting Started in This is a True Story 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.
Reaction-Time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions, or there are settings to lower the requirement for quick reactions. This means you don't need to quickly press a button in response to an on-screen prompt, target a fast-moving target or skillfully complete a scenario against the clock.
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.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
Assistance For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Bank Progress With Frequent Checkpoints: If you fail you can retry that level or aspect of the game without losing a lot of progress (less than 5 minutes). This is often provided via Frequent Checkpoints combined with restarting without losing time, equipment or score.
Assisted Progress With Hints: The game notices if you get stuck (or you can press a button) and provides information to help you progress. This can offer hints or tutorials popping up during play. This includes hints after you have died, where it can suggest strategies or difficulty settings to adjust or offer to skip past problematic levels.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play This is a True Story, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Getting Started accessibility:
- Lost and Hound (8 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in This is a True Story 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.
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 This is a True Story, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Season: A Letter to the Future (7 Reading Features)
- The Artful Escape (7 Reading Features)
- Dot's Home (6 Reading Features)
- Orwell's Animal Farm (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in This is a True Story 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.
Menu Navigation
Menus Don't Wrap: Menus don't wrap and stop the cursor at the bottom of the list if you press down. Or menus do wrap but make it clear that you are back at the top of the list with sound or narration.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play This is a True Story, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Navigation accessibility:
- Lost and Hound (6 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Visual in This is a True Story 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
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.
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 This is a True Story, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Lost and Hound (10 Visual Features)
- Bury Me My Love (7 Visual Features)
- Dot's Home (6 Visual Features)
- Season: A Letter to the Future (5 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in This is a True Story 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 This is a True Story, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Lost and Hound (4 Audio Features)
- Bury Me My Love (3 Audio Features)
- Humankind (2 Audio Features)
- Leaving Lyndow (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.
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 Ben Kendall
