Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
It feels like all of the PlayStation Studios have been working harder than ever to ensure that its first-party AAA titles push accessibility forward. There were several titles from the publisher in this category (not to dismiss other studios and developers that worked hard on accessibility features, as well). However, in this tight race, God of War Ragnarok stood out just a little bit further than the rest with the exhaustive list of accessibility features it included, and that’s what earned the game our 2022 Shacknews Award for Outstanding Achievements in Accessibility.
As mentioned, God of War Ragnarok was in good company this year among PlayStation Studios games with solid accessibility features. It could be argued that this was arguably to the game’s benefit because GoW Ragnarok was the last PlayStation Studios game to launch this year. It had the fortune of not only including the innovations and improvements from other titles such as Last of Us Part 1 and Horizon Forbidden West, but also improving upon that suite of options with its own improvements and innovations.
God of War Ragnarok’s accessibility menu included categories such as vision accessibility, hearing accessibility, motion reduction, motor accessibility, and more, each including a vast array of options pertaining to subtitles, sounds, visuals, colors, motion, control, and further choices. In some cases, our Shacknews staff even reported how these options allowed them to play God of War Ragnarok where otherwise they would have experienced discomfort. Outside of our own experiences, GoW Ragnarok also appealed to a wide variety of players through these options, assuring that most players that wanted to play absolutely could.
Accessibility continues to be an evolving craft in video games and PlayStation Studios continues to be a frontrunner in the conversation with its AAA titles. What’s more, God of War Ragnarok even stood above other PlayStation Studios titles in this regard, and that’s why it gets our vote for Shacknews Outstanding Achievement in Accessibility 2022.
Check out our Year of the Games: 2022 article to see all of the other Shacknews Awards that have been announced so far.