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Xbox X|SWe've documented 28 accessibility features for Valkyria Chronicles 4, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), No Quick Reactions, Select Difficulty, No Button Combos and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, Navigation, Visual, Audio and Difficulty 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, Angela Hickman Newnham, first checked Valkyria Chronicles 4 accessibility 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
The other 3 game modes are battle specific; Command and Targeting mode do not have a time pressure element but in Action mode while you are controlling a soldier in your squad, nearby enemy soldiers shoot at you in real-time and you have limited Action Points to move with, so control becomes time sensitive as you try to move efficiently and avoid enemy fire.
Although missions can be failed, you are able to repeat them as often as needed until completed, and once a mission is passed it is graded on a letter scale with rewards given out for performance. Missions can be replayed as often as you like to earn a higher grade and more rewards.
Some missions take place at night or in low contrast environments to simulate limited visibility battlefield conditions (especially in the Chapters that take place in the snow) and while figuring out where enemy soldiers are is part of the challenge of these battles, this may increase existing issues with navigation or distinguishing objects on screen.
Game Details
Release Date: 21/03/2018, updated in 2020
Out Now: Android, PC, PS Vita, PS4, PSP, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One and iOS
Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Battle, Shooting, Strategy (Action, Narrative, Role-Play and Traversal)
Accessibility: 28 features
Components: 3D First-Person, 3D Third-Person, Grid, Hand-Made and Weather
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Controls in Valkyria Chronicles 4 which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
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).
Controller Vibration
Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.
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 Valkyria Chronicles 4, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Tenderfoot Tactics (13 Controls Features)
- Wildermyth (11 Controls Features)
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (10 Controls Features)
- Aliens: Dark Descent (10 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Valkyria Chronicles 4 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Valkyria Chronicles 4, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (3 Difficulty Features)
- Wildermyth (3 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in Valkyria Chronicles 4 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.
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.
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.
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 Valkyria Chronicles 4, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Beastieball (7 Getting Started Features)
- Triangle Strategy (6 Getting Started Features)
- Pendragon (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Valkyria Chronicles 4 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.
Moderate Reading: Moderate reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a high school student (14-year-old) would appreciate.
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 Valkyria Chronicles 4, 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 Valkyria Chronicles 4 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.
Visual Directional Cues: Additional in-game visual cues that signpost where to go next and how close you are to arriving. This can be with camera movement to focus on your destination or important items. It can use light, breadcrumb trails, in-world pointers to identify your mission's target location.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Valkyria Chronicles 4, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Wargroove 2 (5 Navigation Features)
- Wildermyth (5 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Visual in Valkyria Chronicles 4 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.
Outline Interactive Elements: Characters, platforms and enemies can be outlined or highlighted for visibility. This can be with a large border around the character or a special visual mode that adjust the colour to make characters more visible.
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.
Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Valkyria Chronicles 4, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Pendragon (7 Visual Features)
- Tenderfoot Tactics (6 Visual Features)
- Steamworld Heist (6 Visual Features)
- Wargroove 2 (5 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Audio in Valkyria Chronicles 4 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.
Audio Events
Visual Cues for Audio Events: Text or other visual indicators of audio events. This mirrors audio indicators of progress in the game with a corresponding visual indication.
Visual Depiction of Directional Audio: Indication on-screen with arrows, icons, located colour splashes and the like, to show where directional audio for damage, footsteps, environmental or way-finding sounds are coming from.
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).
Stadia
Stadia offers some system accessibility features. Tandem enables you to use two controllers to play one character. This also enables you to connect other controllers like the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
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 Angela Hickman Newnham
