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Xbox X|SWe've documented 22 accessibility features for Echo, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), No Quick Reactions, Select Difficulty, No Button Combos and No Repeated Pressing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Reading but it also has features in Getting Started, Navigation, Visual, Audio and Difficulty 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, Ben Kendall, first checked Echo accessibility 5 weeks ago.
Accessibility Notes
The game only saves at certain sections, so you can lose a lot of progress.
The game can be frightening, with clones surprising you, and the overall tone is unsettling. The game is also often quite dark and low in contrast, and areas tend to look the same, making navigation often somewhat complicated This is compounded by the lack of explicit objectives or map.
Some objects you need to interact with to progress can be very difficult to make out due to contrast and a lack of indicators until you are very close by. Subtitles are high in contrast, but less than 1/20th of screen height in a fairly thin font. UI text is white with no background, so it can be extremely low in contrast in the bright interior spaces of the palace.
There is a UI element that clearly indicates in high contrast when you're spotted, as well as the direction from which you've been seen. This is accompanied by a distinct audio cue.
Game Details
Release Date: 19/09/2017, updated in 2017
Out Now: PC and PS4
Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Brain Game, Stealth, Traversal (Adventure, Narrative and Shooting)
Accessibility: 22 features
Components: 3D Third-Person
Developer: The Ultra Ultra (@TheUltraUltra)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 10 accessibility features for Controls in Echo 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.
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.
Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.
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
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: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Echo, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Alan Wake 2 (13 Controls Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (11 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Echo which deals with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.
Difficulty Options
Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Echo, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Alan Wake 2 (3 Difficulty Features)
- Dead Space (2 Difficulty Features)
- Alien: Isolation (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Echo 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Echo, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Alan Wake 2 (5 Getting Started Features)
- Innocence Island (5 Getting Started Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (3 Getting Started Features)
- Alien: Isolation (3 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Echo 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.
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 Echo, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (7 Reading Features)
- Dead Space (6 Reading Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (5 Reading Features)
- Alan Wake 2 (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Navigation in Echo 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.
Head-Up Display
Adjust Head-Up Display: Resize and adjust the content of the head-up display. This enables it to be made more visible. It can also enable the removal of too much information that can be distracting or confusing.
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 Echo, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Dead Space (6 Navigation Features)
- Alan Wake 2 (5 Navigation Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (3 Navigation Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (3 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in Echo which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
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.
Violence
Turn Off Blood: Reduce or disable graphic content of blood and gore.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Echo, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Dead Space (7 Visual Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's 4 (5 Visual Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (4 Visual Features)
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach: Ruin (3 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Echo 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 Echo, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Audio accessibility:
- Hitman (3 Audio Features)
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).
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall
