Okay, I’ve already died twice in #Returnal and haven’t even seen a boss or an elite enemy, but I am extremely intrigued. 3D audio and adaptive triggers are so, so cool when implemented into gameplay.

If you’ve been following me for a while—first of all, WHY, but second of all, you might remember me talking about how much I appreciated THE LAST OF US PART 2’s accessibility options as a long-time gamer who is also dyspraxic.

For the uninitiated, dyspraxia has multiple effects that impact my gaming experience, notably difficulties with:
- visual processing
- reaction time
- sense of direction
- ability to read a map

So far, #Returnal has a host of options that I really appreciate as a dyspraxic player. I can’t be the only one, so I’ll elaborate.

1. Extremely simple map UI.
All items are marked. It shows what direction you’re facing. It’s minimalistic and informative. As someone who never got far in Metroid Prime as a kid and was frequently exasperated in Jedi: Fallen Order, #Returnal is the best map since the RE2 remake.

2. One-click navigation assistance.
This isn’t even an accessibility option; it’s automatically in #Returnal. One click of the right stick highlights an outline of your surroundings and makes nearby exits GLOW. An absolute godsend for me when I tend to walk in circles, lost.

3. Audio cues.
My visual reaction time is just the worst compared to the human average. I completed Demon’s Souls, DS1-3, and Sekiro primarily because enemies have consistent, often auditory tells before they do something.

The 3D audio in #Returnal is an accessibility option in and of itself. I don’t have to process the incoming lasers as a visual in order to react because everything has an audio cue, and my auditory reaction time is dramatically better. Makes the learning curve more fair.

4. Tutorials
I love Souls, but the lack of tutorials led to deep dives on YouTube to learn what certain buttons even did. #Returnal offers simple tutorials in the pause menu for each action as it’s introduced and keeps those as a reference.

5. Subtitles.
A lot of the text in #Returnal is (typically) too small, but this is mitigated with the PS5 Zoom option. Subs, on the other hand, are customizable according to size, color, opacity, etc. Helpful to make sure I’m processing all the info with everything going on.

I am in the opening hours of #Returnal still, but other options relevant to disabled gamers include:
- color blind options
- adjustable crosshair size & weight
- simplified UI option
- bloom can be disabled
- REMAPPABLE CONTROLS, including adaptive triggers

Sound ranges can also be adjusted across environment, dialogue, bass, treble, and more if you have significant auditory sensitivities of any kind or struggle to parse all the info at once. The 3D audio makes a huge difference there though.

I rarely see mainstream discussion on accessibility when a big title drops, so I try to mention it when I notice its value during my experience. Thanks, #Returnal, for accessible tutorials, reliable auditory cues, and a map UI that doesn’t make me feel incompetent.

I see @Housemarque liked the first tweet in this thread so hopefully my thoughts make it to whoever designed the accessibility options! Now back to getting murdered by aliens. Over and over and over and—