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Xbox X|SWe've documented 27 accessibility features for Wavetale, including Guaranteed Progress, Adjust Speed, Low Pressure, Custom Difficulty and No Holds. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, Navigation, Visual, 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, Andy Robertson, first checked Wavetale accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 16 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
You can select toggles rather than holds for Boost, Aim and Glide.
You can adjust the size of the font but there is not always a box behind the text so this can make it harder to read (even though it is outlined in black). Subtitles do appear in speech bubbles which makes the text stand out better.
There's a map you can view at any time. There's also a compass at the top of the screen that indicates item direction and how far away they are, although this does lose contrast quite often because of the pale sky behind it.
You can view a journal of people you meet, a scrapbook of things you've found and revisit tutorials. This eases the need to remember the story, but much of this text is quite small and of low contrast.
The game indicates when you are over a platform both with your shadow and your character changing colour.
Game Details
Release Date: 10/11/2021, updated in 2023
Price: 65% off
Out Now: PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch and Xbox One
Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Adventure, Traversal (Action, Collecting, Narrative and Platform)
Accessibility: 27 features
Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Open World
Developer: Thunderful Games (@ThunderfulGames)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 9 accessibility features for Controls in Wavetale 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.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
Remap Buttons: Can re-map all buttons so that you can use alternatives that better suit your play.
Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.
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.
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.
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 Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Submerged Hidden Depths (17 Controls Features)
- Sail Forth (16 Controls Features)
- The Spirit and the Mouse (15 Controls Features)
- Morgan: Metal Detective (13 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Wavetale which deals 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
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Dredge (2 Difficulty Features)
- The Smurfs Mission Vileaf (2 Difficulty Features)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Getting Started in Wavetale 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.
Adjust Speed: Adjust the speed of the game at critical moments or throughout, or rewind play for a second attempt, to ease reaction times. By slowing the game, you have more time to interpret what is happening and then execute your actions. It also reduces the pressure on getting things right quickly or the first time you attempt them.
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.
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 Recall for Characters: The game provides reminders about character identity during play. This includes pop-up images and bios for character who is speaking.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Morgan: Metal Detective (9 Getting Started Features)
- Submerged Hidden Depths (9 Getting Started Features)
- Mail Time (7 Getting Started Features)
- Tchia (7 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Wavetale 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.
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
Some Dialogue is Voice Acted: Some of the game dialogue and narrative is voice acted. This reduces the pressure on reading all the dialogue text, although not everything is provided audibly.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Lil Gator Game (6 Reading Features)
- Rog & Roll (6 Reading Features)
- The Gunk (6 Reading Features)
- Mail Time (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in Wavetale 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
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 Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Submerged Hidden Depths (7 Navigation Features)
- Splatty's Adventure (7 Navigation Features)
- Sable (7 Navigation Features)
- Sail Forth (6 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in Wavetale 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
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Bonito Days (8 Visual Features)
- Tchia (7 Visual Features)
- A Hat in Time (7 Visual Features)
- Sable (7 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Wavetale 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio
If you want to play Wavetale, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Lil Gator Game (3 Audio Features)
- Paradise Marsh (3 Audio Features)
- Splatty's Adventure (3 Audio Features)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (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.
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.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson
