









We've documented 17 accessibility features for A Puzzle in Time, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Low Pressure, No Quick Reactions, No Button Combos and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Visual, Reading 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.
Our accessibility examiner, Andrea Walney, first checked A Puzzle in Time (Dreams) accessibility 3 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
Game Details
Release Date: 12/02/2021, updated in 2022
Out Now: PS4 and PS5
Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Adventure, Brain Game (Point-and-Click and Puzzle)
Accessibility: 17 features
Components: 3D First-Person
Costs: Free
Controls
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in A Puzzle in Time 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 & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play A Puzzle in Time, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- We Were Here (12 Controls Features)
- Sensorium (12 Controls Features)
- Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (10 Controls Features)
- The Last Cube (7 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in A Puzzle in Time 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 A Puzzle in Time, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (2 Difficulty Features)
- Ctrl Alt Ego (2 Difficulty Features)
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Not Not, A Brain-Buster (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in A Puzzle in Time 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.
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.
Reaction-Time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions, or there are settings to lower the requirement for quick reactions. This means you don't need to quickly press a button in response to an on-screen prompt, target a fast-moving target or skillfully complete a scenario against the clock.
Low Pressure: Game tasks aren't time-limited or there's a low-pressure mode. This avoids the pressure of being put on the clock for overarching missions, or failing tasks because you didn't reach a destination in time.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play A Puzzle in Time, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- The Last Cube (7 Getting Started Features)
- Ctrl Alt Ego (7 Getting Started Features)
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (6 Getting Started Features)
- Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in A Puzzle in Time 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.
Moderate Reading: Moderate reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a high school student (14-year-old) would appreciate.
Subtitles
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.
Voice Acted
All Dialogue is Voice Acted (Or No Speech In Game): All of the game dialogue and narrative can be voiced, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to read the dialogue and narrative text to play the game.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play A Puzzle in Time, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (6 Reading Features)
- Ctrl Alt Ego (5 Reading Features)
- Sensorium (5 Reading Features)
- The Talos Principle (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Navigation in A Puzzle in Time 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. The following games are similar to A Puzzle in Time, and offer accessibility features for Navigation:
- Ctrl Alt Ego (5 Navigation Features)
- Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (3 Navigation Features)
- The Talos Principle (3 Navigation Features)
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (2 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Visual in A Puzzle in Time 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.
Visual Distractions
No Flashes: No flashing strobe effects or you can disable them. This includes the absence of flashing from dramatic visual effects, explosions or weather effects like lightning.
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.
No Busy Backgrounds: No distracting backgrounds or you can make them static or blank. This includes the absence of other movement elements in the background that might distract or confuse the action. Where foreground contrast is high, this includes games with some movement in the background that doesn't make it overly difficult to distinguish what is happening.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play A Puzzle in Time, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (9 Visual Features)
- The Last Cube (8 Visual Features)
- Press X to Puzzle (8 Visual Features)
- Fate of Kai (8 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in A Puzzle in Time which deals 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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio
If you want to play A Puzzle in Time, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (3 Audio Features)
- Ctrl Alt Ego (3 Audio Features)
- Escape Simulator (2 Audio Features)
- The Last Cube (2 Audio Features)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
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 Andrea Walney