Bethesda declares Indiana Jones and the Great Circle an approachable and accessible game with a new outline of accessibility features, but not everybody is happy.

Bethesda declares Indiana Jones and the Great Circle an approachable and accessible game with a new outline of accessibility features, but not everybody is happy.

What you need to know

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases on Xbox and PC, as well as day one on Xbox Game Pass, on December 9.
  • So far, the title from MachineGames has been well received by reviewers, sporting an 87 on Metacritic ahead of launch.
  • In the lead-up to the game’s full release, Bethesda’s team has put together a blog to detail the accessibility that will be available on launch, as well as plans for future updates.
  • “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is designed to be an approachable and accessible game so that as many people as possible can experience the adventure as Indiana Jones,” wrote Bethesda’s team on the company blog.

As someone who has spent countless hours exploring digital worlds and advocating for accessibility in gaming, I am thrilled to see publishers like Bethesda and developers like MachineGames taking significant strides towards making their games more inclusive. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is shaping up to be an exciting addition to the franchise, and its commitment to accessibility is truly commendable.

As the much-anticipated release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle approaches, publisher Bethesda in conjunction with the development team at MachineGames has disclosed information about the game’s user-friendly and inclusive features.

According to the reviews, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle appears to offer an enjoyable experience of fighting against fascists with items like bread loaves, shovels, and whatever else is at hand. For individuals with disabilities, stepping into the shoes of the whip-wielding archaeologist might seem challenging. However, it’s reassuring that Bethesda and MachineGames understand that when we collectively stand against Nazis, everyone emerges victorious.

On their Bethesda Softworks blog, the team shared that they’ve crafted Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to be a user-friendly game, making it enjoyable for a wide range of players to embark on an Indiana Jones-style adventure.

Indiana Jones and accessibility menus

The article further reveals the specifics about the accessibility options players can anticipate in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle upon its launch on December 9th. Notably, the game’s accessibility settings will offer a variety of shortcuts to help users locate groups of frequently used accessibility features more efficiently. This setup mirrors the user interface navigation function seen in Call of Duty, where related accessibility options are grouped together for convenient adjustment.

For Indiana Jones and the Great Circle gamers, you’ll notice customizable options for User Interface (UI) such as Font Size adjustments, Color Presets, and UI Safe Zone settings. Additionally, you’ll find camera settings including Field of View, Motion Blur, Camera Stabilization, and Screen Shake. These tweaks are designed to cater to players who might feel uncomfortable with the ‘fishbowl effect’ or motion sickness, by allowing them to personalize their gaming experience accordingly.

You can use various color adjustments in the game to enhance visual cues, and these adjustments include brightness, contrast, intensity, and filter strength which can all be altered separately. Additionally, a high-contrast mode has been incorporated to emphasize objects and characters, and this feature too can be customized based on your preference for its strength and color selection.

Bethesda declares Indiana Jones and the Great Circle an approachable and accessible game with a new outline of accessibility features, but not everybody is happy.

In addition to closed captioning, subtitles can be found under the accessibility options. You can customize aspects like font size, speaker names visibility, and subtitle backgrounds according to your preference.

Players have the flexibility to tailor their gameplay experience by adjusting various input parameters such as vibration settings, thumbstick and trigger dead zones, and sensitivity for both mouse and controller inputs. They also decide whether certain actions should be toggled or held.

  • Toggle Sprint
  • Toggle Aim Firearm
  • Toggle Aim Photo camera
  • Toggle Raise Lighter
  • Toggle Prime Throw
  • Toggle Boat Forward/Reverse
  • Toggle Whip Free Climb

Indiana Jones and future accessibility updates

In their endeavor to incorporate accessibility options into Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Bethesda and MachineGames have sparked some discontent within the visually impaired gaming community. Despite the game’s accessibility guide mentioning that a screen reader won’t be available for menu or UI narration at launch, this lack of support has resulted in expressions of frustration from players who require sighted assistance due to their visual impairments. The developers have pledged to add a screen reader in a future update, but its absence at the game’s release has fueled these concerns.

It’s great to hear that a screen reader/menu and UI narration update is being worked on for this. Though I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, I do fear that without accessible navigation of some kind, progress will still be very tricky without assistance. https://t.co/2GciBoEVCEDecember 6, 2024

There’s been discussion about whether specific elements mentioned in the accessibility guide should be considered as related to accessibility. Bethesda includes features like pausing during cutscenes and gameplay, replayable chapters, and multiple save slots under the umbrella of accessibility features. However, some people view these gameplay aspects as standard inclusions in a new AAA title rather than enhancements for accessibility. Instead, these gaming elements aim to make Indiana Jones and The Great Circle more user-friendly.

Gameplay accessibility frequently presents as a multi-layered issue, intersecting at various points, and sometimes, enhancements designed for one player group may unintentionally obstruct others. For instance, making a game more user-friendly or accessible, such as through pause menus and in-game logs, can be likened to another intersection on the road to creating games that cater to a wide range of players.

Bethesda has developed a feedback form for gamers to share thoughts on the accessibility aspects of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. However, you need to sign up and log in to their website to complete the form. The game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, debuts on Xbox consoles and PC on December 9, and is accessible from day one for certain Xbox Game Pass subscription plans. Notably, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has already received its first significant update before its widespread launch. In the Windows Central review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, our own Samuel Tolbert states that the game is incredibly fun and deserving of the iconic adventurer’s name.

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2024-12-09 17:10