What To Expect From God of War Ragnarök’s Extensive Accessibility Features

God of War Ragnarök comes with a whopping 60-plus accessibility options, from auto-sprinting down muddy roads to noticeable direction indicators for combat sequences. A deeper customization allows players to fine-tune the wintry apocalypse. PlayStation enthusiasts might recognize the phrase “Play has no limits” from a string of ads. Ragnarök’s lead UX designer, Mila Pavlin, echoed the same sentiments and voiced her dedication to centering players of all walks of life. “This is a fantasy epic,” Pavlin says. “This is about a father and son. This story is about fate, and the Nine Realms. It’s about the ability to enter that world, no matter your background and to be able experience this rich history, detail, and story. That drives me every day.”

A wide spectrum of consultants and testers, including veterans and blind players, helped Pavlin’ team concentrate on four key fields: Vision, hearing, motor skills, and cognitive understanding. These design goals are covered by a number of new, impressive features. High contrast mode lets players apply certain colors to items, characters, backgrounds, etc. to improve visibility and reduce visual clutter. The captions and audio cues provide clues to puzzle-timing modification. For example, skill shots – hitting objects mid-fall or swinging on an arc – are easily executed by accessing game settings and slowing down environmental targets. Without these handy adjustments, Ragnarök is prone to “blockers” or difficult interactive moments that can potentially inhibit progression and alienate players. Pavlin says the most significant task was finding a healthy balance between God of War’s intensity and enabling players to overcome challenges in meaningful ways.

A methodology called “dual channel” is pivotal to addressing this balance. The UX team’s efforts ensure players receive sensory information in multiple forms – sonically, visually, and haptically. You can also use text or icon customization options that were available in the previous game. This ensures all written information is clear. Abilities like Spartan Rage, quick-turns, shield strikes, and even high-contrast palettes are triggerable with swipes on the DualSense controller’s touchpad. And auto pickup makes heady battles more manageable, so replenishing health or rage meters with the respective stones in a given area won’t require much thought. “Accessibility features are not just accessibility features,” Pavlin tells me. “They also help to improve the experience for everyone. Ragnarök is about moving into the next phase. For us, that meant including more people, making sure that people can customize more, and making sure that it’s a comfortable play experience for everybody.”

Camera navigation aid orients your view toward current objectives. Platforming is automated and controller visualization allows you to stream live button inputs from the moment with larger audiences. These are but a handful of options available to players. But Pavlin still yearns to expand Ragnarök’s overall accessibility. “60-plus features is tremendous to get to,” she says. “I still think we can do better. It is possible to push the envelope. Of course, people will be thrilled to learn how many players are available. And if I can push a feature to the point where one more player – just one more player – could play, then that would be the greatest thing in the world; to be able to see that one player and understand how that lets them connect with the community and connect with everyone.”

This article originally appeared in Issue 349 of Game Informer.