Headliner: NoviNews Review
Posted: 7 weeks ago, last updated 3 weeks ago.
Author: Ellen Robertson, Andy Robertson and @JonahMonaghan.
Overview
The game is an in-depth look at journalism and political issues that feel very relevant to today's society, like the prospect of making national healthcare available in the midst of an epidemic. Headliner seems to take a very neutral approach to each issue you face, presenting facts for each side of the argument, as you decide which articles will be seen by the public and what title they'll have.
Overall, Headliner: NoviNews presents a dim reality where neither side of the argument is truly right. It challenges you to assess your own political and social views and the consequences of them becoming a reality. The game has a variety of art styles which maintain gameplay that's visually diverse. However, it is worth noting that due to the identical daily schedule, the game can become repetitive over time whilst watching the effects of your headlines unfold around you.
Headliner: NoviNews was built off of a smaller game called Headliner. The game is similar in how it is played but has a much shorter 7-day story. Headliner is only available on PC and MacOS.
Details
Rating: PEGI 12+, ESRB TEEN
Release Date: 05/10/2019
Platforms: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Simulation
Developer: @UnboundCreation
Tips
View our choice of games like Headliner: NoviNews. This game is good if you want to:
Commitment
Costs
Age Ratings
Accessibility
- Reaction-time Not Critical
- Low Pressure, no actions in the game are time-sensitive.
- Auto-Save
- Speaker Indicator
- Playable with mouse only or mouse and keys
- No rapid pressing required
- Playable without hearing
Difficulty
How you can adjust the challenge of play, and assistance the game offers when you fail or get stuck.
Cognitive Pressure
Reaction-time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions.
Low Pressure: Game tasks aren’t time-limited or with a high emphasis on performance. Or there is a low pressure play-mode available.
Assistance
View Control Mapping: You can view a map of controls during play.
Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials, instructions and tips.
No Unlocking Required: Access any mode, location, character, weapon or vehicle from the start.
Reading
How much reading or listening comprehension is required, and how accessible this is.
Extensive Complex Reading: Extensive reading required.
Text Visibility
Large Clear Text: Text is large and clear, or can be adjusted to be.
High Text Contrast: Text colour contrasts to background.
Speaker Indicator: Captions or icons and speech bubbles indicate who is speaking.
Controls
How you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Multiple Buttons & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.
Mouse And Keyboard
Keyboard Alone: Can play with just the keyboard.
Mouse Alone: Can play with just the mouse/mouse button/mouse wheel.
Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.
Rapid Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing not required or can be skipped or disabled.
Image
How you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
No Screen Shake: No screen shake effect or this can be disabled.
Colourblind friendly: Game doesn’t rely on colour or can switch to colourblind friendly mode.
Clear Interface: The game navigation, maps and information are clear to read, large or adjustable.
Audio
How you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.
Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately.
Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well
System Settings
Nintendo Switch has some built-in features, including a lockable zoom, that can be used on all games. 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 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping). 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.
Supported by PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors: @JonahMonaghan
Games Like Headliner: NoviNews
The following games are like Headliner: NoviNews. They address a similar topic or offer a similar way to play. They are good options to play next and also good alternatives to Headliner: NoviNews for younger age ratings.
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