Naughty Dog outlines what is included in The Last of Us Part 1.
In the remake, there will be audio descriptions of the movies, haptic feedback for dialogue, and more accessibility features.
Accessibility features will be provided for the blind and deaf, as well as players with motor accessibility needs. The biggest new feature is movie audio descriptions in partnership with Descriptive Video Works. These descriptions will be integrated into all cutscenes and across all localizations.
Another feature found dialogue played through the PS5 DualSense controller as haptic feedback. This option allows deaf players to feel how the lines are delivered.
Naughty Dog has added alternate control options, allowing players to customize the DualSense controller by remapping commands, including touchpad swipes and controller shakes. The player can change the button hold to toggle, and each quick press can change to hold. There are also camera assist and lock-on aiming options.
Three accessibility presets will configure all recommended settings for visual, auditory and motor accessibility. Players are free to customize these presets to suit their needs.
There are options to fine-tune the size, color, and contrast of the HUD to ensure text, UI, and game elements can be viewed and read comfortably. There’s also a screen magnifier that lets you magnify any part of the screen using the PS5 DualSense controller’s touchpad.
Simulating 3D motion can be the cause of motion sickness for many players, and can be combated by adjusting camera shake, motion blur, camera follow distance, and field of view. The inclusion of a persistent white point option in the center of the screen can help alleviate that feeling.
Including how blind and low-vision players use Navigation Aids to navigate. Another option is Enhanced Listening Mode, which will help players find enemies or pickups. Other features include simplified traversal input, ledge protection and the ability to skip puzzles.
The game will also ship with traversal and combat audio cues that work with game audio to map recognizable sounds to common actions. These are categorized in an audio glossary that players can refer to at any time. The developers also included a screen reader option that displays menus and other on-screen text.
Includes several combat options that can significantly change the gameplay experience. Stealth Toggle allows you to experience stealth games that might not be accessible, slow motion while aiming, and more.
Naughty Dog includes several visual display options for HUD information. Examples include awareness indicators, which allow you to determine when enemies notice you when invisible. This option can also persist in combat and point the player at high threat enemies.
There are also tons of subtitle customization options. Players can adjust the size and color, choose a dark background for contrast, can enable speaker names, and there’s even a directional arrow for off-screen speakers. Another option is to add subtitles to all systemic enemy dialogue during stealth and combat.
As an extension of accessibility, The Last of Us Part 1 also includes expanded difficulty options. At launch, there will be five challenge levels: Very Light, Light, Medium, Hard, Survivor, and Grounded. Specific aspects of difficulty can be customized and adjusted individually based on incoming damage, enemy and friendly effectiveness, stealth, and resources.
The Last of Us Part 1 will be released on PS5 on September 2. A PC version is also in the works.