Keen-eyed Uncharted vets might notice several new control options in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. In particular, you can now (optionally) lock-on to enemies, have the camera auto-follow the most interesting things, and hold a button instead of mash it for certain quicktime events and fistfights.
I noticed these changes in the process of reviewing Uncharted 4, but merely chalked them up to Naughty Dog covering all its bases en route to making Uncharted 4 an instant classic. Turns out, there’s a deeper story behind their inclusion, which was spurred by a disabled gamer named Josh Straub.
Josh, who was born with cerebral palsy, was a huge Uncharted fan but could not finish Uncharted 2 thanks to a series of doors near the end that require button-mashing. Shortly after, Josh started a website–D.A.G.E.R.–to raise awareness about the accessibility of games. Before the release of Uncharted 4, Josh sought out Alexandria Neonakis, a Naughty Dog UI Designer, at GDC to explain his concerns about some standby elements of the Uncharted series.
As PlayStation’s video explains, Josh’s insight led to the inclusion of the aforementioned options, and Uncharted 4 is a better game for it, more ready to be enjoyed by all.
I highly recommend checking out Josh’s website if you want a unique perspective on the games and control freedoms that we take for granted. Uncharted 4, as expected, received a glowing review for accessibility, while Far Cry: Primal was blasted for various reasons. More control options are always a good thing; here’s hoping developers start including them in recogntion of disabled gamers, too.
For more on Uncharted 4, listen to our full spoilercast below.