We've documented 20 accessibility features for Ori and the Blind Forest, including Select Difficulty, No Button Combos, Play Without Hearing, Colour Blind Friendly and Audio Cues. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Reading, Navigation, Getting Started, 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 Ori and the Blind Forest accessibility 9 months ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 9 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
The voice acting in the game is all sounds; the text in the captions is not spoken aloud. While some dialogue is large, much of it falls below 1/20th of the screen height. All of it is high in contrast, however.
You can only save the game at a soul link point, but you can create these anywhere you want as long as you have the energy available, and with an early ability you are able to make these soul links reusable. This allows you to save almost anywhere pretty early into the game. However, you can't save during boss fights and the escape sections that follow them.
Some interactions with the world produce minor flashing effects. Your character, although bright white, is quite small and can occasionally be hard to see when you move about the screen quickly. There is a significant depth-of-field effect throughout the whole game.
As the game is so exploration-heavy, figuring out the way forward can sometimes be difficult and navigation can be hard.
Game Details
Release Date: 11/03/2015, updated in 2019
Out Now: PC, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S
Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Action, Platform (Adventure, Fighting, Narrative and Traversal)
Accessibility: 20 features
Components: 2D Side-On
Developer: Moon Game Studios (@MoonGameStudios)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in Ori and the Blind Forest 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:
Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Greak: Memories of Azur (10 Controls Features)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps (9 Controls Features)
- Celeste (9 Controls Features)
- Rayman Origins (7 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Ori and the Blind Forest 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 Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Disney Illusion Island (3 Difficulty Features)
- Tiny Thor (2 Difficulty Features)
- Kirby's Epic Yarn (2 Difficulty Features)
- Grapple Dog (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Ori and the Blind Forest 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.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Disney Illusion Island (7 Getting Started Features)
- Celeste (7 Getting Started Features)
- Selini (4 Getting Started Features)
- Greak: Memories of Azur (4 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Ori and the Blind Forest 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
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 Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Grapple Dog (7 Reading Features)
- Disney Illusion Island (6 Reading Features)
- Adventures of Pip (6 Reading Features)
- Greak: Memories of Azur (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Navigation in Ori and the Blind Forest 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.
Head-Up Display
Game Map: View a map of the game world during play, with the landscape, points of interest and missions highlighted throughout the entire game. This enables the orientation of the player and the world, confirming a direction of movement and the location of destinations or points of exploration.
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 Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Greak: Memories of Azur (6 Navigation Features)
- Selini (4 Navigation Features)
- Cyber Shadow (4 Navigation Features)
- Celeste (4 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Visual in Ori and the Blind Forest 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 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.
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 Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Cyber Shadow (7 Visual Features)
- Grapple Dog (7 Visual Features)
- Greak: Memories of Azur (5 Visual Features)
- Temple of Sun and Moon (5 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Ori and the Blind Forest 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 Ori and the Blind Forest, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Disney Illusion Island (3 Audio Features)
- Donkey Kong Country Returns (3 Audio Features)
- Grapple Dog (3 Audio Features)
- Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (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.
Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall