We've documented 22 accessibility features for Master Key, including Large Text, Low Pressure, No Button Combos, No Repeated Pressing and Play Without Hearing. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Visual, Reading, Navigation 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.
External examiner, Achromi Achromi, first checked Master Key accessibility 22 months ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 22 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
The game is presented in high contrast black and white visuals from the start.
Game Details
Release Date: Coming soon
Coming Soon: PC
Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Action, Adventure (Collecting, Fighting and Traversal)
Accessibility: 22 features
Components: 2D Overhead
Developer: Achromi Dev (@AchromiDev)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in Master Key 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 & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.
Mouse And Keyboard
Can play with the following:
Keyboard Alone: Can play with just the keyboard.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Master Key, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Time on Frog Island (7 Controls Features)
- Thousand Threads (7 Controls Features)
- Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (7 Controls Features)
- Rotwood (6 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Master Key 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 Master Key, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Legend Of The Skyfish (2 Difficulty Features)
- Time on Frog Island (1 Difficulty Feature)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in Master Key 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.
Onboarding Before Play
Before you are presented with the home screen, onboarding settings aim to aid you accessing the menus you need to adjust the game to your requirements. They can also provide an easier way of turning on important adjustments without digging through menus.
Low Vision Onboarding: The first time you open the game, the default text is high contrast and font size is at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height of the screen and in an easy to read font. This enables legally blind visually impaired players to get ready to play.
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.
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.
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.
Save Progress Anytime: The game automatically saves progress or you can save any time. This doesn’t mean you never lose progress, but it does mean you can stop whenever you want (without having to get to a save point) without losing progress.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Master Key, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Getting Started accessibility:
- Thousand Threads (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Master Key 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.
No Reading: No reading is required, other than simple menus. The game either has no text or can communicate textual content with visuals and interactions. If reading isn't required because the text is voiced the All Dialogue is Voiced feature indicates this.
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.
High Contrast Text: Text colour contrasts to the background or can be adjusted to be. The text in menus, instructions and other information is presented in high contrast with a solid background.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Master Key, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (6 Reading Features)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (5 Reading Features)
- Hollow Knight (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Navigation in Master Key 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.
Menu Navigation
Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.
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 Master Key, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Thousand Threads (8 Navigation Features)
- Rotwood (5 Navigation Features)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (4 Navigation Features)
- Legend Of The Skyfish (3 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Visual in Master Key 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
High Contrast: There is high contrast between elements that need to be distinguished from each other, such as characters, interactive objects and game environment, either by default or a high contrast mode. This is different to a slider that increases contrast or brightness between light and dark.
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.
Audio Cues for Visual Events
Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.
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 Master Key, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Thousand Threads (7 Visual Features)
- Rotwood (6 Visual Features)
- Sunless Sea (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Master Key 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 Master Key, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Legend Of The Skyfish (3 Audio Features)
- Thousand Threads (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 Andy Robertson