![]() ![]() Subtitle text can be advanced at the players own pace and it appears on-screen for a nice amount of time. Language and instructions are simple and clear and all tutorials are intertwined with gameplay. Cognitive AccessibilityĬognitive accessibility is the one area in which Bee Simulator does fairly well. The various colors indicate different types of challenges players can participate in, but again with no colorblind options, some players may be left guessing as to what they’re seeking out. The previously mentioned subtitle text is obviously a visual accessibility, as the contrast is not great and the font choice can at times be quite hard to read.Īnother issue for colorblind players is the challenge system which, again, is indicated only by color. Players that don’t see the red, green, or yellow? They’re left to guess as to what kind of pollen they’re collecting. Green, red, and yellow, all against a blue overlay with a distorted lens effect. The Bee Vision system, which players are required to use to collect special types of pollen, indicates said special pollen by color only. First and foremost, essential information is conveyed by color only and the game has absolutely no colorblind options. Blind/Low Vision and Colorblind AccessibilityĪnother major failure of Bee Simulator is in this area of accessibility. ![]() So once again, players might find themselves at the end of the game very early on due to these issues. 3) It requires use of the thumbstick which I’m sure everyone knows is not possible for all players. 2) There is no audio cue to indicate which way the bee moved for blind/low vision players. 1) Players should be able to toggle on some kind of hint system so as to not feel defeated by numerous failures. Failing to mimic one move takes you back to the start of the minigame. In this minigame, players are tasked with mimicking the movements of a fellow bee using the left thumbstick in increasingly complex sequences. If players are unable to complete it, that’s where the game ends for them.Īnother issue for motor, vision, and cognitive accessibility are the bee dance challenges. While most of these minigames are simply avoidable, at the very beginning of the game, there is one required. On top of these issues, some of the quests and minigames are QTE-style button presses and there is no option to skip these or adjust the timing for them. There is no button remapping and controlling Beescuit requires use of both the L and R thumbsticks, as well as both triggers and the right bumper. The only adjustment players can make (on console) is controller sensitivity. Motor accessibility may be where Bee Simulator suffers the most. However, there are no speaker labels in cinematics (though all the bees kind of look the same so I’m not sure it matters much). I love the use of different sizes to indicate the tone and volume of the dialogue. The cinematic subtitles offer something I really appreciated that I’ve not seen any other games do. Helpfully, there are speaker labels, and the outline around the text helps legibility a bit, but as I’ve said many times before, stylized text is not the way to go if you’re not going to offer a non-stylized option. However, they’re not exactly legible, with a stylized font and background that doesn’t help much with contrast issues. Starting off with what I know best – subtitles! The game is fully voiced and has full subtitles. It’s a delightful game but it’s full of accessibility obstacles that will render it difficult to enjoy for some players, to down right unplayable for others. Instead, I will simply note potential problem areas and leave it for parents to decide for themselves if the game is playable for their child.ĭid you know that in the winter time, bees huddle together and constantly vibrate their wings to keep themselves warm? That’s the kind of delightful fact players can look forward to in Bee Simulator, a game in which you take control of a bee (adorably named Beescuit) and complete RPG-style missions and minigames. Because of this, nothing will be scored, as I am not comfortable rating features I don’t rely on. The Kid-Friendly Review Series is a bit different than our usual reviews in that they are all-encompassing instead of our usual focused reviews.
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