Partial Accessibility is Fully Frustrating
Unbeatable’s got rhythm, but its story mode is unplayable for some people with disabilities. Let’s discuss this troubling trend.
As a 90s kid who loves alternative music and rhythm games with simple controls, I was very interested in playing Unbeatable. Unfortunately, this dream game turned out to be a bit of an accessibility nightmare when it came to the story mode. Full price games being only partially accessible is not exclusive to this indie title, as I’ve seen this happen in traditionally accessible AAA games as well. In this article, I’ll provide an Accessibility Review for Unbeatable and discuss the downsides and possible solutions for partially accessible games.
Unbeatable Accessibility Review
I played Unbeatable on Xbox Series X using an Xbox Adaptive Controller, the Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit, and a regular Xbox controller for which I used the palms of my hands to control the control sticks in Controller Assist mode. I also tested the game using the Lili version of the TEKKEN 8 Victrix Pro FS Arcade Fight Stick for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Personal Computer (PC) plugged into the Xbox using a Brook adapter. I only played through a chapter and a half of the story mode before the game became too physically painful for me to play. I have been actively enjoying the arcade mode. I paid for this game using my own money.
Accessibility Successes
The rhythm game itself only requires two buttons (bumpers for the bottom rhythm button, and face buttons for the top rhythm button), making the arcade mode very accessible to those with motor disabilities.
The ability to use either the D-pad or control stick for movement and menu navigation.
The option to reduce camera motion and turn off the Video Home System (VHS) and post-processing filters on story mode.
The option to change different volumes in the game
Most of the dialogue is voice acted and on high contrast speech bubbles
The option to reduce scrolling speed in the rhythm game.
Multiple difficulty modes available.
Suggestions for Better Accessibility
The option to remap the rhythm buttons. I would’ve liked to remap the top rhythm button to A and the bottom one to B so I could only use my Xbox Adaptive Controller instead of needing to make a gaming set up using my Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit. The Xbox Adaptive Controller itself has wonderfully high-quality buttons that are much better suited for rhythm games.
Adding directions for goal locations in story mode. Both my partner and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we were supposed to do at certain times. Since it is physically painful for me to use a joystick, I don’t want to be using one more than I need to, and getting lost is not fun.
Improved movement in story mode. The strange camera angles made it very difficult to get to goal locations.
The ability to use arcade sticks. When I tested out my arcade stick, the button suddenly became very laggy to the point of the game being unplayable.
The option to remove hold inputs. Just about every rhythm game I played except this one has this ability, even going this far back as Dance Dance Revolution. Hold inputs are very painful for some people with disabilities, including myself.
Fixing the VHS filter option. It appears turning the VHS filter off does not turn off the VHS filter on arcade mode, only story mode.
Offering the option to make the text bigger. I could not find a way to make text bigger, despite there being a dialogue size option on the menu that is unable to be changed.
Adding the option to auto advance dialogue. Pressing the A button over and over again in a dialogue heavy game is very painful to me.
Adding multiple language options for game text and audio, as I couldn’t find other language options.
Adding optional audio descriptions in multiple languages.
Fixing the zoom option when looking in game materials. The user interface (UI) gets in the way of seeing the material and the corners are blurred.
Making all game options available at any point of the game. For example: the option to reduce movement is only accessible via the main menu.
Having the option to turn off controller vibration. Not only can controller vibration be unpleasant and/or painful for some people, but it is super annoying when using the controller in a table top position in controller assist mode. The vibrations reposition the controller, sometimes causing it to fall off the surface the player is using as it did for me many times.
Adding the ability to save in the middle of a cut scene. It was very annoying to have to leave long cut scenes to change options, only to have to redo the same cut scenes again.
The option to have stationary text. The letters in dialogue move around a lot, which could cause photosensitivity concerns and make the dialogue difficult to read if someone is in the beginning stages of learning to read English. If you live with photosensitivity concerns, I would speak with the doctor first before playing this game.
Having the option to have characters speak one at a time. Characters talk over one another and cover each other’s speech bubbles, making the dialogue difficult to read and understand.
Fixing the game audio menu on the score result screen in arcade mode. When I entered it, the game froze.
The option to make the hold icon high contrast mode, as it blends into the background with the color it is now.
Unbeatable is an independent (indie) game. Indie games usually are made by small teams with small budgets, so they may not have the access to enough funds and staffing to make games as accessible as AAA studios would. Therefore, I am more lenient in my accessibility review than I would be for a AAA game. I understand that my accessibility suggestions may not be able to be completed. From my research, Unbeatable also appears to be the studio’s first game (congrats!), so the developer is likely early in the learning process of gamemaking. I hope that any developers that see this review just see it as ideas for possible updates or future titles.
The Problems of Partial Accessibility
I just mentioned earlier, it is because of many of the accessibility shortcomings listed above that I cannot play the story mode of Unbeatable. The problem of only one mode of a game being accessible is not exclusive to this title. In Street Fighter 6, I was not able to play the World Tour mode, therefore I missed out on 1/3 and the main story of the game. In addition, someone had mentioned to me at one of the gaming accessibility panels I was presenting that Just Dance only included one seated dance in their full priced $60 game. I have also heard reports of certain non-story gameplay sections of Mortal Kombat 1 being inaccessible to players with blindness and low vision because of the lack of compatibility with the screen reader. I cannot speak to this personally, as I only just recently bought Mortal Kombat 1 on sale and am slowly making my way through the story mode.
While I’m happy that I can enjoy the arcade modes in both Unbeatable and Street Fighter 6, it still angers me that I’ve paid full price for these games that I can only play part of. If you’ve read my accessibility reviews for a while, you know that I am not sponsored by anyone nor have obtained any free review copies. When I play a game, it’s because I’ve spent my own money that I have earned through hours of my life taken away by paid labor. I don’t want to spend my hard earned money on a game, only to be able to enjoy part of it. Those who cannot earn money due to living with a different disability experience, homemaking, caregiving, or in retirement especially should not have to deal with this, since living on a fixed income or being financially supported by someone else is difficult as it is. As the economy worsens and game prices sky rocket, this becomes more difficult and frustrating, and disincentives buying games altogether because of the risk of not getting one’s money’s worth.
Accessible Solutions
The best possible answer to partially accessible games is to work to make them fully accessible through hiring as many accessibility consultants as needed to make it happen. If an indie game company is going to do something different with the mechanics of their arcade modes, but are unable to hire accessibility consultants to help them make appropriate accessibility features due to budget constraints, best practice would be to offer this new section of the game as a separate purchase to the arcade edition and offer the arcade edition at a reduced price appropriate to what the consumer is receiving. In that arcade mode, they should offer the story of the game through traditional cut scenes between arcade mode gameplay (similar to the story modes offered in Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1) so that players with disabilities do not miss out on the story.
Conclusion
Overall, partially accessible games are incredibly frustrating, so much so that I considered asking for a refund for both Unbeatable and Street Fighter 6. I have found the gameplay of their more accessible arcade modes so fun that I’ve decided to keep them in my gaming library, so these game companies ultimately get to keep my money. If another player with disabilities would like to seek a refund for these games or others that are not fully accessible, they would definitely be justified. This trend of partially accessible games cannot continue if they would like disabled fans to continue to pay for their games day one and pay full price, or else players will be waiting for the game to go on sale to the percentage that is playable to them. This would cause the game to lose a lot of “day one hype” and free advertising from content creators with disabilities playing the game. Accessibility benefits both players and developers. Games are more fun when everyone can play and when everyone can play the full game.
Disclaimers:
Everything in this article are my personal experiences and opinions, therefore are not to be taken as facts.
I am not sponsored by any companies, manufacturers, creators, or organizations mentioned.
Everyone’s situation is different. Accessibility isn’t “one size fits all”.
This is not medical advice.
Please talk to a doctor first before making decisions regarding your health and/or engaging in a new activity that may affect your health.
If you feel pain or sickness from an activity, please stop and speak with a doctor.
If you’re experiencing a medical emergency, please call your local emergency services or, if you are in the USA, 911.
If you’re experiencing a psychiatric emergency, please call your local emergency services or, if you are in the USA, 911 or 988.
For information regarding medical, mental health, and accessibility services in the USA, please contact your insurance company, 211, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI: 1-800-950-6264).