Horizon Forbidden West’s accessibility features have been detailed

Guerrilla Games has detailed Horizon Forbidden West’s accessibility features ahead of next week’s release.

In a PlayStation Blog post, principal designer Brian Roberts outlined the work the studio has done to make the game an experience that as many people as possible can play.

In terms of general accessibility settings, the game enables subtitles by default. It includes an “encyclopedia” of useful information players can easily refer to and a separate tutorials section.

In addition to five pre-set difficulty settings, the game includes a new Custom Difficulty option which lets players tweak damage levels that Aloy deals and receives.

Players can also select an Easy Loot option that doesn’t require them to detach resources from machines before killing them.

In terms of controller settings, there are various pre-sets including left-handed support, or players can choose to fully remap the gameplay controls with guidance offered on any potential conflicts.

“Another new feature is the Co-pilot system, which grants a second PlayStation controller with mirrored controls access to the game,” Roberts said.

“This only requires another controller (DualSense controller for PS5, DualShock 4 controller for PS4) and a second user profile. The Co-pilot system was implemented thanks to incredible feedback and support from our sightless accessibility consultant.”

Automatic settings players can enable to make the game easier include Auto Concentration (which temporarily slows down time when players aim their bow), Auto Sprint, Auto Heal (when below 50% health), and Auto Shieldwing (which deploys Aloy’s glider when falling from height).

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The latest Horizon Forbidden West trailer shows off activities and challenges

Gear and upgrades also included in new footage

The PS Blog post goes into greater detail on the game’s accessibility features, including audio and visual settings.

The Horizon Forbidden West release date is February 18. Over the past couple of days, Guerrilla has released the first footage of the game running on the base PS4, with one clip showing Aloy fighting a Tremortusk.

Publisher Sony has also updated the PlayStation Store page for the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West to make it clearer that buyers are eligible to a free PS5 upgrade.