Ubisoft Reveals New Accessibility Options for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Ubisoft has disclosed an exciting array of accessibility options that will provide a more inclusive gaming experience for players in their upcoming release of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
The senior game designer, Rémi Boutin, presented an ‘accessibility deep dive’ video released on January 4, underscoring the team’s commitment to a game design that is accessible to all players. Explaining the approach adopted, he emphasized the absence of color-based feedback and quick time events (QTEs) in the game, as well as the implementation of a larger text size by default. “I think accessible design is good design,” he added.
Players will have the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of settings in order to enhance their gaming experience. For example, high contrast settings can be used to eliminate background colors and highlight important game elements such as the player character, enemies, and traps. Additionally, the screen shake feature can be deactivated, and the heads-up display (HUD) size can be adjusted to accommodate individual preferences.
In terms of combat, players will have the ability to fine-tune difficulty settings and adjust individual parameters such as enemy health levels and dodge windows for the protagonist. Moreover, aim-assist can be increased for certain weapons, and melee targeting assist can be activated to automatically direct the player character towards enemies.
For exploration-based challenges, players can utilize the ‘platforming assist’ to bypass particularly challenging platforming sections. The game also offers additional highlighting for interactive elements, a ‘guided mode’ to display map icons and objective information, as well as an option to attach screenshots to the minimap for reference during gameplay.
“One of the defining aspects of the metroidvania genre is the principle of taking mental notes,” Boutin explained. “There is a blocked path, and you need to acquire a new power or have a new tool and come back later. Historically, you had to memorize that path. It can be a cognitive load – it can be difficult to remember what you tried to achieve.”
Highlighting the innovative feature to pin screenshots, Boutin expressed his hope that this will set a new standard for the genre and be adopted by other games.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is scheduled for release on January 18 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. For additional details on the accessibility options available, the complete list can be found on the Ubisoft website.
In the meantime, while waiting for “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown” to be released, take a look at our recommendations for the best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games to find something to play.