Bioshock Infinite Accessibility Report - Mac, PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Bioshock Infinite Accessibility Report

We've documented 13 accessibility features for Bioshock Infinite, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Colour Blind Friendly, Visual Directional Cues, Speaker Indicator and Fully Subtitled (Or No Speech). Its accessibility is strongest in Reading and Controls but it also has features in Getting Started, Navigation, Visual 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.

Bioshock Infinite is an adventure shooting game. Although the story is unconnected to the previous games in the series, it raises similar themes of dictatorship communities and alternative to capitalistic society. It's another nuanced and complex story with a steampunk aesthetic, but turns from the body horror of the previous games to considering the fine line between protection and imprisonment in broken relationships.

Our accessibility examiner, Andrea Walney, first checked Bioshock Infinite accessibility 21 months ago.

Bioshock Infinite

ACCESSIBILITY REPORT

Game Details

Release Date: 26/03/2013, updated in 2020

Price: 75% off

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Content Rating: PEGI 18

Skill Rating: 15+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Adventure, Shooting (Action, Fighting, Narrative and Role-Play)

Accessibility: 13 features

Components: 3D First-Person

Developer: Ghost Story Games (@GhostStoryGames)

Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass

Controls

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Controls in Bioshock Infinite 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.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.

Controller Vibration

Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

If you want to play Bioshock Infinite, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:

Difficulty

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Bioshock Infinite 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 Bioshock Infinite, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:

Getting Started

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Bioshock Infinite 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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

If you want to play Bioshock Infinite, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:

Reading

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Bioshock Infinite 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.

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

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 Bioshock Infinite, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

Navigation

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Navigation in Bioshock Infinite 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

Clear Mission Objectives: The game provides clear, structured missions with directional guidance and advice on which can be attempted next. This also indicates (ideally on maps where they are provided) which missions can't be attempted because you do not have the appropriate items yet.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

If you want to play Bioshock Infinite, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:

Visual

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Visual in Bioshock Infinite which deals with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.

Colour Options

Colour Blind Friendly: Game doesn’t rely on colour or can switch to colour blind friendly mode with double coding or similar way to avoid colour dependance.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

If you want to play Bioshock Infinite, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:

Audio

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Bioshock Infinite 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 Bioshock Infinite, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:

System Accessibility Settings

In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:

Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch has some built-in features, including a lockable zoom, that can be used on all games.

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).

Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.

Read more about system accessibility settings.