We've documented 23 accessibility features for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, including Large Subtitles, Large Text, Low Pressure, No Repeated Pressing and Play Without Hearing. Its accessibility is strongest in Reading and Controls but it also has features in Getting Started, Visual, Audio and Navigation 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.
External examiner, Jonah Monaghan, first checked Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair accessibility 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
There are items you can collect to make the game easier to play, but these have to be found as you play which does take some time. In particular, there are items that give you more checkpoints and that can slow down gameplay.
Game Details
Release Date: 08/10/2019
Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One
Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Action, Platform (Collecting, Fighting and Puzzle)
Accessibility: 23 features
Components: 2D Side-On and Cartoon
Developer: Playtonic Games (@PlaytonicGames)
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Controls in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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 & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.
Mouse And Keyboard
Can play with the following:
Keyboard Alone: Can play with just the keyboard.
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.
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 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (10 Controls Features)
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure (9 Controls Features)
- New Super Lucky's Tale (9 Controls Features)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps (9 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Marsupilami: Hoobadventure (2 Difficulty Features)
- Grapple Dog (2 Difficulty Features)
- Yoshi's Crafted World (2 Difficulty Features)
- Eagle Island (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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.
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.
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 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Getting Started accessibility:
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (5 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Reading in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Grapple Dog (7 Reading Features)
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure (7 Reading Features)
- New Super Lucky's Tale (7 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Navigation in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (8 Navigation Features)
- New Super Lucky's Tale (4 Navigation Features)
- Ori and the Blind Forest (3 Navigation Features)
- Grapple Dog (3 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Visual in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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.
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.
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 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Grapple Dog (7 Visual Features)
- Temple of Sun and Moon (5 Visual Features)
- Kaze and the Wild Masks (5 Visual Features)
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure (5 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Audio in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair 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.
Play Without Hearing
Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.
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).
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 @JonahMonaghan and Andy Robertson