Naughty Dog has revealed that The Last of Us 2 has a number of accessibility options to adhere to the needs of different players. The Last of Us 2 will be releasing on the PS4 on the 19th of June, 2020. However, the review embargo is getting lifted a week before the launch date, so fans will get insight into the game a bit earlier.
The Last of Us 2 was recently banned in the Middle East after the game's ESRB ratings got revealed, which stated that the game will be featuring nudity & sexual content. Considering the fact that Ellie's sexuality has been an important aspect of The Last of Us 2's story, it seems less likely that Naughty Dog can launch the game by censoring some content, something which many developers have done in the past. Keeping the game accessible both in narrative and outside of it appears to be a huge priority for Naughty Dog.
In an interview with The Verge, The Last of Us 2 Co-Lead Game Designer Emilia Schatz revealed that the game will be Naughty Dog's most accessible game ever. The game will be featuring a wide array of accessibility options for the players which will help them in the game. The options range from simple tweaks such as resizing the UI to dedicated features for specially-abled people. For instance, the game has a high contrast mode and touchpad based magnification for low-vision players. This will prevent them from sitting too close to the television while playing the game which can make it pretty uncomfortable for them. On top of that, the game's audio has been worked upon to ensure that players don't have to depend solely on visual elements to get information in the game.
Naughty Dog is known for its accessibility options. In Uncharted 4, the developers had introduced an accessibility feature that allowed players to open doors or lock-on to targets by using only one stick at a time. The feature was implemented after feedback from Josh Straub, a gamer with cerebral palsy who couldn't do the quick-time events in Uncharted 2 because it involved a lot of button mashing. Emilia explains that Naughty Dog aimed to further diversify the accessibility options in The Last of Us 2. They had these features in mind from the initial stages of development itself which enabled them to adhere to the needs of a wider audience.
Accessibility options were seldom seen in video games in the past generations and that restricted a lot of players from playing them. However, the introduction of accessibility options in games has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of this generation. Popular games like Fortnite and Overwatch include a colorblind mode, and companies like Microsoft have launched the adaptive controller for specially-abled players. Making the game accessible for everyone should be one of the goals of the developers and Naughty Dog's emphasis on accessibility options in The Last of Us 2 sets a benchmark for the industry.
Source: The Verge