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Nintendo’s Wii U exclusive Bayonetta 2 has been named as the most accessible game of last year.
It was selected for the AbleGamers’ Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year award due to excellence in accessible game design”. The gong is designed to recognise developers that make intentional choices to include accessibility in their games”.
Other shortlisted finalists included Hearthstone, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby, Tropico 5, The Sims 4 and Civilization: Beyond Earth. The 2014 AbleGamers Accessible Mainstream Indie Game of the Year award was handed to two titles – This War of Mine and Always Sometimes Monsters.
Bayonetta 2 pulls out all the stops for accessible game design while staying true to their creative vision, revitalizing a genre known for inaccessibility, on a system inherently inaccessible, but ultimately making a near perfect example of game accessibility,” the charity said.
This game allows players to choose from a plethora of options with the WiiU GamePad, Pro Controller, the GamePad’s touch screen, or in any combination that is most comfortable for the player.
Bayonetta 2 stands out among other accessible mainstream games by paying careful attention to user friendly game experience. The inclusion of a one-button combat mode creates an experience other character action titles should implement. As a proof of concept, this game demonstrates that accessibility can be implemented into a mainstream triple-A game without harming any of the gameplay.
Bayonetta 2 is not a style of game that should be accessible, but Platinum Games took extra steps to make it that way, which is worth praise.”
Previous winners of the award include FIFA 13. AbleGamers was last year a victim of a GamerGate-led online attack campaign after it opted out of receiving donations from a scheme found to have association with the hate movement.
