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Xbox X|SWe've documented 31 accessibility features for En Garde, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Guaranteed Progress, Control Assists, Select Difficulty and No Holds. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Getting Started, Reading, Navigation, 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.
External examiner, Adrien Poncet, first checked En Garde accessibility 10 months ago. It was re-examined by Andrew Robertson and updated 9 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
Most of the object interactions (kicking crates, throwing buckets etc...) are auto-aimed. Fencing an opponent is likewise auto-targeted (you can switch targets, but you don't need to aim your sword strikes).
Although every dialogue with an NPC both in and out of combat, some text (such as when Adalia reads a note or thinks to herself) isn't.
Although a lot of the text is of a good size there is some that are only about 1/40th screen height.
Game Details
Release Date: 16/08/2023
Out Now: PC
Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Action, Fighting, Sequencing (Battle, Simulation and Traversal)
Accessibility: 31 features
Developer: Fireplace Games (@FireplaceGames)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 9 accessibility features for Controls in En Garde 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.
Remap Extra Mouse Buttons: Can remap additional buttons on mice that provide more than the two standard buttons, 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.
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 En Garde, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Criminals Within (13 Controls Features)
- Hi-Fi Rush (12 Controls Features)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (10 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in En Garde 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 En Garde, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (3 Difficulty Features)
- Criminals Within (2 Difficulty Features)
- Hi-Fi Rush (2 Difficulty Features)
- Thirsty Suitors (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in En Garde 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.
Assistance With Controls: The game can automatically assist with aiming, steering, reloading, jumping, running etc. This reduces the challenge of certain aspects of play to remove barriers and make control of characters more accessible.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
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.
Bank Progress With Frequent Checkpoints: If you fail you can retry that level or aspect of the game without losing a lot of progress (less than 5 minutes). This is often provided via Frequent Checkpoints combined with restarting without losing time, equipment or score.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play En Garde, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Criminals Within (8 Getting Started Features)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (7 Getting Started Features)
- Thirsty Suitors (7 Getting Started Features)
- Hi-Fi Rush (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in En Garde 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.
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 En Garde, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Hi-Fi Rush (7 Reading Features)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (6 Reading Features)
- Final Vendetta (6 Reading Features)
- Criminals Within (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in En Garde 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.
Head-Up Display
Head-Up Display Navigation: Indication of where to go next with overlaid arrows, minimaps and waypoint markers. This supplements in-game visual and audible cues with additional guidance about where you are and where you need to go.
Menu Navigation
Menus Don't Wrap: Menus don't wrap and stop the cursor at the bottom of the list if you press down. Or menus do wrap but make it clear that you are back at the top of the list with sound or narration.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play En Garde, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Thirsty Suitors (7 Navigation Features)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (6 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Visual in En Garde 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
Outline Interactive Elements: Characters, platforms and enemies can be outlined or highlighted for visibility. This can be with a large border around the character or a special visual mode that adjust the colour to make characters more visible.
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.
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.
Violence
Turn Off Blood: Reduce or disable graphic content of blood and gore.
Turn Off Dismemberment: Disable graphic depiction of dismembered bodies and corpses.
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in En Garde 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 En Garde, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (4 Audio Features)
- Criminals Within (3 Audio Features)
- Hi-Fi Rush (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.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors
