Nuclear Blaze Accessibility Report - PC, PS4 and Switch

Nuclear Blaze Accessibility Report

We've documented 18 accessibility features for Nuclear Blaze, including Large Subtitles, Large Text, Guaranteed Progress, Adjust Speed and Control Assists. Its accessibility is strongest in Reading and Getting Started but it also has features in Visual, Difficulty, Controls, 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.

Nuclear Blaze is a running, jumping and fire extinguishing game from the same developer as Dead Cells. You put out fires and dodge explosions, debris and fiery chasms. Along with its uniquely intricate levels, there are real-life hazards to negotiate (backdrafts, electricity cables and collapsing buildings).

Our accessibility examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Nuclear Blaze accessibility 23 months ago.

Accessibility Notes

There is extensive customisation of the game's difficulty available, including the ability to increase armour and health, expand the capacity of your water tank, and increase the power of your hose, allowing you to reach fires further away. You can also slow down the speed at which fires spread, allowing increased reaction and thinking time.

There is also a mode called "Kid mode", which serves as the game's easiest difficulty. On it:

You can't die
You have infinite water
The levels are designed to be easier to navigate
Your hose is automatically aimed
Controls are simplified

The text throughout is large and clear, and it is shown with a speech bubble effect who is speaking. The game is very colourful and bright, but your player character can sometimes appear quite small, and it is easy to lose oneself in the background. Fire and other hazards can also be difficult to spot on occasion.

Nuclear Blaze

ACCESSIBILITY REPORT

Game Details

Release Date: 18/10/2021, updated in 2023

Price: 40% off

Out Now: PC, PS4 and Switch

Content Rating: PEGI 7

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Platform, Shooting (Action and Simulation)

Accessibility: 18 features

Components: 2D Side-On and Pixels

Developer: Deep Night Fr (@DeepNightFr)

Costs: Purchase cost

Controls

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Controls in Nuclear Blaze which deals with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

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

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

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

Difficulty

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Nuclear Blaze 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.

Difficulty Options

Customise Difficulty: Customise different aspects of the game to create a challenge of an appropriate level. Adjusting elements individually enables you to tailor gameplay to suit your needs and style of play.

Adjust After Setting

Adjustable Anytime: You can adjust the difficulty while playing, without having to restart the level you are on. This enables you to quickly adjust the game to suit your needs and see the difference immediately.

Getting Started

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in Nuclear Blaze 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.

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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

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

Reading

We've documented 6 accessibility features for Reading in Nuclear Blaze 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.

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

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.

Navigation

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

Visual

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Visual in Nuclear Blaze 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.

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.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

If you want to play Nuclear Blaze, 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 Nuclear Blaze 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 Nuclear Blaze, 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).

Read more about system accessibility settings.

Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall