









We've documented 25 accessibility features for Letters: A Written Adventure, including Large Subtitles, Large Text, Adjust Speed, Low Pressure and No Quick Reactions. Its accessibility is strongest in Getting Started and Visual but it also has features in Reading, Controls, Audio and Navigation 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 Letters: A Written Adventure accessibility 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 3 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
Because everything in the game is dependent on your actions, you can take as long as you need and there are no time pressures or penalties. Additionally, if you misuse an important word, it will reappear so you can use it again.
While most text is large and clear some of the range of fonts used are less clear. Also, some of the text is greyed out which makes it hard to distinguish from the background.
Game Details
Release Date: 09/02/2022
Out Now: Mac, PC and Switch
Players: 1
Genres: Communication, Narrative (Brain Game, Creative, Platform and Puzzle)
Accessibility: 25 features
Components: 2D Side-On and Text
Developer: Letters The Game (@LettersTheGame)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Controls in Letters: A Written 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 & 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.
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).
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Letters: A Written Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Upheaval (7 Controls Features)
- The House In Fata Morgana (6 Controls Features)
- Wordle (6 Controls Features)
- Choice of Robots (6 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Letters: A Written 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 Letters: A Written Adventure, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Wordle (2 Difficulty Features)
- Upheaval (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Roadwarden (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 7 accessibility features for Getting Started in Letters: A Written 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.
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.
Adjust Speed: Adjust the speed of the game at critical moments or throughout, or rewind play for a second attempt, to ease reaction times. By slowing the game, you have more time to interpret what is happening and then execute your actions. It also reduces the pressure on getting things right quickly or the first time you attempt them.
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.
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 Letters: A Written Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Getting Started accessibility:
- Lil' Guardsman (9 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Letters: A Written 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.
Extensive Complex Reading: Extensive reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading is suitable for someone who loves long books and enjoys extended dialogue or narrative descriptions.
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Letters: A Written Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Lil' Guardsman (7 Reading Features)
- A Dark Room (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Letters: A Written Adventure which deals 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.
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 Letters: A Written Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Lil' Guardsman (5 Navigation Features)
- Videoverse (3 Navigation Features)
- Knights of San Francisco (3 Navigation Features)
- Roadwarden (3 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 6 accessibility features for Visual in Letters: A Written 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.
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.
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.
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.
Motion Sickness Friendly
Motion Sickness Friendly: Doesn't have 3D movement elements that may trigger motion sickness, like motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision. Or includes the ability to disable motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision effects.
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 Letters: A Written Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Letter Rooms (10 Visual Features)
- Lil' Guardsman (8 Visual Features)
- Knights of San Francisco (8 Visual Features)
- Ord (8 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Letters: A Written 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 Letters: A Written Adventure, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Lil' Guardsman (3 Audio Features)
- Videoverse (3 Audio Features)
- Roadwarden (3 Audio Features)
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.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall and Andy Robertson