We've documented 30 accessibility features for Sackboy: A Big Adventure, including Large Subtitles, Large Text, Guaranteed Progress, No Button Combos and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Visual, Getting Started, Navigation and Audio to reduce unintended barriers.
This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.
External examiner, Harry Nelson, first checked Sackboy: A Big Adventure accessibility 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 21 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
There are no difficulty settings, you are able to give yourself infinite lives so that you can enjoy the game without having to worry about 'Game Over'. There's a handy trigger for getting you back into the action in multiplayer matches and also options to turn the game button presses and holds into either presses or holds depending on preference.
The game's remapping is fairly extensive, only lacking the ability to remap the joysticks to buttons if needed.
There is an overworld where you can use all of your moves which makes for a great practice area as there are no enemies or time limits.
The game is designed with visual interest in mind, as such, the levels are colourful and characterful, this could however be an issue for players who find too much sensory information challenging. You can select colour blind assists for Protanopia, Deuteranopia, Tritanopia and Achromatopsia.
Game Details
Release Date: 12/11/2020, updated in 2022
Out Now: PC, PS4 and PS5
Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds
Players: 1-4 (4 online)
Genres: Action, Platform (Adventure, Collecting, Puzzle and Traversal)
Accessibility: 30 features
Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made
Developer: Media Molecule (@MediaMolecule)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 9 accessibility features for Controls in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Gamepad
Can play with the following:
Multiple Buttons & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
Remap Buttons: Can re-map all buttons so that you can use alternatives that better suit your play.
Invert X/Y Axis: Can invert the direction required to control looking and aiming. This enables you to match your instinctive orientation when looking.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
Holding Down Buttons Optional: Holding down buttons for prolonged periods (a second or more) is not required or can be switched to toggling the action on and off. This is in addition to the movement stick/button which is not considered a hold for this purpose.
Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing (more than 2 times a second) is not required, can be skipped or switched to holding a button to trigger a repeated action.
No Simultaneous Buttons: Only one button or key required at a time, in addition to direction stick(s).
Controller Vibration
Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.
Informative Vibration: Controller vibration indicates events or interactions in the game, echoing visual and audio cues. This can provide additional information about progress, approaching enemies or hitting a target.
Sensitivity
You can adjust
Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity, Deadzones and Thresholds: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are and the related deadzones and thresholds.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Painted Waters (12 Controls Features)
- Minecraft Dungeons (12 Controls Features)
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (10 Controls Features)
- Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered (10 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play. The following games are similar to Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Knack 2 (2 Difficulty Features)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (2 Difficulty Features)
- The Smurfs Mission Vileaf (2 Difficulty Features)
- Kirby's Epic Yarn (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.
Assistance Getting Starting
These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.
Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.
Practice Area: You can practice freely without opponents or time pressures. This can be a specific practice option, or the ability to play levels with the easiest opponents to improve understanding and skill.
View Control Mapping: You can view a map of controls during play. This clearly displays the mappings of actions to buttons/keys/mouse/keyboard without having to leave the game. This includes games that always display buttons to press during play.
Assistance For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Guaranteed Progress With God Mode: There is no fail state for any game level, where you lose progress or have to start again. Or there are options to make failing impossible: infinite health or lives, unlimited time. Sometimes called God Mode or Unfailable.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Painted Waters (7 Getting Started Features)
- Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova (6 Getting Started Features)
- Big Hops (6 Getting Started Features)
- Minecraft Dungeons (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 7 accessibility features for Reading in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.
Reading Level
How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.
Simple Minimal Reading: Minimal reading is required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a primary/elementary student (9-year-old) could understand.
Text Visibility
Large Clear Text: All essential text is large and clear or can be adjusted to be. The general text used throughout the game in menus, instructions and other key information (excluding subtitles that are assessed separately) is at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height on landscape screens and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters.
High Contrast Text: Text colour contrasts to the background or can be adjusted to be. The text in menus, instructions and other information is presented in high contrast with a solid background.
Subtitles
Large Clear Subtitles: Subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast. They are at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height of a landscape screen and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens, or can be adjusted to be. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters. Considered separately from the general text of the game, the subtitles are large, clear and of good contrast.
All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game): All spoken content has subtitles, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to hear spoken dialogue or narrative to play the game.
Captions
Speaker Indicator: Textual captions indicate who is speaking (or there is only ever one person speaking). This can also be indicated visually in the game with character icons or placing text in speech bubbles next to the person speaking.
Voice Acted
Some Dialogue is Voice Acted: Some of the game dialogue and narrative is voice acted. This reduces the pressure on reading all the dialogue text, although not everything is provided audibly.
Navigation
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Navigation in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.
Clarity
Large Clear Navigation: The in-game navigation and maps are clear to read. They offer large text and offer markers that are large and of high contrast. Where text or information is small, there are settings to zoom-in and increase visibility.
Visual Directional Cues: Additional in-game visual cues that signpost where to go next and how close you are to arriving. This can be with camera movement to focus on your destination or important items. It can use light, breadcrumb trails, in-world pointers to identify your mission's target location.
Menu Navigation
Digital Menu Navigation: Menu choices with Gamepad can be made without using an analogue stick to guide a cursor to a selection. For example, using D-Pad, buttons or the Stick to change menu selection in a single action.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Minecraft Dungeons (10 Navigation Features)
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (8 Navigation Features)
- Splatty's Adventure (7 Navigation Features)
- Painted Waters (5 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Visual in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Contrast
Medium Contrast: Game uses generally well contrasting and bright visuals, or has a slider to make this the case.
Interactive Elements
Large Game Elements: Game characters and other elements are large and distinguishable. Enemies and player characters are at least 1/6 of the height of the screen. Or there is a zoom feature to make them larger.
Visual Distractions
No Screen Shake: No screen shake effect or it is included but it can be disabled. This includes the absence of screen shake for dramatic effect as well as to indicate hits on a target.
Audio Cues for Visual Events
Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.
Colour Options
Colour Adjustments: Adjust colours of characters or game elements for greater visibility. Includes the ability to select which type of colour blind mode you require.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Frogger In Toy Town (7 Visual Features)
- Minecraft Dungeons (7 Visual Features)
- A Hat in Time (7 Visual Features)
- Splatty's Adventure (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.
Adjustable Audio
Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.
Play Without Hearing
Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio
If you want to play Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Weaving Tides (4 Audio Features)
- Splatty's Adventure (3 Audio Features)
- Donkey Kong Country Returns (3 Audio Features)
- Frogger In Toy Town (3 Audio Features)
Communication
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Communication in Sackboy: A Big Adventure which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction. The following games are similar to Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and offer accessibility features for Communication:
- Glitch Busters: Stuck On You (1 Communication Feature)
- Big Hops (1 Communication Feature)
- Minecraft Dungeons (1 Communication Feature)
- Crossy Road Castle (1 Communication Feature)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).
PlayStation 5
PlayStation 5 has a range of system-wide accessibility settings.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors @specialeffect, Andy Robertson, Jo Robertson and Ben Kendall