Accessibility Without Losing Identity – Accessibility Labs (2025)

Introduction

Accessibility Strengths

Elden Ring takes meaningful strides in accessibility compared to previous titles in FromSoftware’s catalog. While it retains the signature difficulty that defines the Soulslike genre, it also introduces features that appeal to a wider audience. These improvements reflect both intentional design choices and further evolution toward inclusivity.

Innovations in Player Traversal

• Jumping: The introduction of jumping in Elden Ring is one of the game’s most significant upgrades, offering players a new dimension in combat and exploration. This feature enhances encounters by providing vertical freedom, allowing players to engage enemies creatively or retreat when needed. Unlike previous Soulslike titles (aside from Sekiro), this mechanic adds approachability, empowering players to navigate challenges.
• Horseback: Torrent, a horse given to the player early in the game, significantly expands player mobility. Torrent amplifies the freedom of the jumping mechanic with the ability to jump higher, flee encounters more effectively, and even gain a moment of invulnerability during summoning. Usable across much of the open world, Torrent is a powerful toolset for exploration and combat.
• Fast Travel: If Torrent is still too slow, the player can immediately teleport or ‘Fast Travel’ to known landmarks known as Sites of Grace. Elden Ring revolutionizes navigation with over 400 Sites of Grace, far surpassing the number in previous titles (Dark Souls 1 had 84, Dark Souls 2 had 128, and Dark Souls 3 had 112). This abundance provides players with precision when traversing the game world. The volume of fast travel points makes Elden Ring significantly more accessible, reducing travelling downtime while allowing players to approach the game’s challenges with greater ease.

Input Customization

• Input Remapping: Many gameplay elements can be remapped, enabling players with varying needs or preferences to engage with the game more comfortably. Camera and character movement are both available to be mapped to keyboard keys, allowing for keyboard exclusive exploration.
• Auto-Target: The Auto-Target feature enables players to lock onto nearby enemies with a single button press, bypassing the need for precise manual aiming. This functionality is a game-changer for players with motor disabilities, providing a crucial accessibility tool. By reducing the physical demands of targeting, Auto-Target ensures that players who might otherwise struggle with fine precision can participate in the game’s challenges.

Accessibility Barriers

Visual Accessibility

Many UI elements suffer from low contrast. This was particularly common for elements that can have a varied and inconsistent background colors, such as the top-central compass.

The game’s default text sizes are another barrier, especially for players using varied gaming setups:

• On larger screens or while playing from a couch, small text becomes hard to read due to increased viewing distance.
• On portable platforms like the SteamDeck, the limited screen size worsens text legibility issues.
• At a standard PC desk setup, text lacks scalability, leaving users to squint or strain.

The game also has instances of using color alone to convey critical information, putting colorblind players at a disadvantage. An example is when red and blue font colors are used to indicate changes in stats.

Depicted below is theRebirth Menu while the player is ‘respeccing’, or resetting their stats. Most stats are decreased to the base value, causing a lot of red text on screen. Compare the same menu with a filter to simulate Protanope vision, a form of colorblindness unable to see red colors. When taking the perspective of someone colorblind into consideration, the red text becomes a brown hue, even more difficult to read, and loses the ‘error’ implications red typically conveys.

If the text was white and instead accompanied by labelling such as supporting iconography (+ or -) players would have an easier time comprehending the text without relying on color. Without supplementary indicators, players with color vision deficiencies may struggle to interpret the information accurately.

Cognitive Accessibility

Players with cognitive challenges, including poor working memory or difficulty managing complex systems, face significant hurdles due to the lack of organizational and guiding tools in the game. Key barriers include:

• Absence of a Quest Log or Journal: Without a centralized system to track NPC interactions and ongoing quests, players are left to remember critical information across sessions. This can lead to confusion and dropped storylines.
• Scattered Tutorial Information: Essential tutorials appear once on the Player HUD when they are encountered. After closing it, the message is moved to the Inventory Menu. While the player is informed of this tutorial space, players returning after extended periods may not recall to look for tutorials in Inventory.
• Vague or Minimal System Feedback: Messages and system notifications, such as multiplayer status updates or item descriptions, often lack clarity by using unnecessarily complex language. For Instance, when rating a message found in the world as ‘Poor’ the player is then prompted to confirm that they ‘Disparage this Message’; the message would be improved if it used the same language choice such as ‘Rate this message as Poor?’ since ‘Disparage’ seems more harsh and consequential. By using the same plain language players will be able to form connections faster as well.

Audio Accessibility

The game’s supporting audio features fall short in delivering for players with visual and hearing disabilities. Specific shortcomings include:

• Missing Captioning Features: Elden Ring has subtitles, which display the spoken language of the game, common for translations. Captions on the other hand, present more information such as the speaker and critical sound cues, more helpful for deaf and hard of hearing players. The subtitles currently implemented are unable to be customized in font size, given solid color backgrounds, or modified to a more legible sans serif font option. Similarly to the compass, varied background colors create moments of nearly illegible subtitles.
• Lack of Menu Narration and Audio Descriptions: Menus are not supported by screen narration, forcing blind players to rely on external tools such as Optical Character Recognition or sighted assistance. Cinematic sequences lack an option for Audio Descriptions, to describe the visual events occurring on screen.
• Game Sound Effects: The sound effects present in game emit when the player’s character is very close. In game scenarios such as an enemy approaching, sighted players have an advantage by having visual indication much sooner than a player relying on sound will receive an audio cue.

Input Accessibility

While we praised Elden Ring’s Input Remapping as a strength, there are also aspects to the controls that create barriers. The game utilizes atypical and restrictive input configurations for players who rely on keyboard-exclusive or one handed setups. Specific issues include:

• Non-standard Menu Controls: Keyboard navigation for menus use unconventional keys like E or Q instead of standard inputs like Enter or Escape. These inconsistencies create friction for keyboard users.
• Limited Controller Remapping: While Keyboard has the availability to remap camera and movement, controller cannot, restricting left and right stick mapping.
• Input Accessibility: Complex button combinations for key mechanics, such as activating a two-handed stance, present challenges for players with limited dexterity. By default, entering a two-handed stance with keyboard and mouse requires holding E and simultaneously pressing either left-click or right-click depending on the weapon. Simplifying this mechanic into a single-input action would enhance accessibility for players with motor disabilities or are one handed.

Engineer Perspectives

Engineer A: The Veteran Player

Engineer A’s extensive background with the Soulslike genre allowed them to identify late-game issues and propose changes without compromising difficulty. Their contributions included improvements to gameplay objectives, complex moves, and under the surface communication methods. Highlights of their findings include:

• Enhanced Hint Systems: Elden Ring’s open-ended design allows players to explore in any direction, but this can often lead to situations where progress is gated by missing critical steps, such as activating a Great Rune. Providing concise, context-sensitive guidance would reduce the likelihood of players backtracking or becoming stuck. In some parts of the game, such as the Abyssal Woods, the developers provide subtle hints, like warnings about the Untouchables, to guide players. Expanding this feature to other difficult areas would be beneficial for players who feel lost or overwhelmed. To maintain immersion, this feature could be made optional in the accessibility settings, allowing players who prefer to discover everything organically to turn off these hints.
• Improving Message Context: Messages such as “You cannot proceed without more Great Runes” would have improved accessibility if they specified how many Great Runes are required. Additionally, players navigating Elden Ring’s open world might still be unsure where to search. The game could go a step further by offering a general hint, such as the region or direction where additional Great Runes might be found. This subtle guidance would allow players to make informed decisions without undermining the exploratory nature of the game.
• Control Refinements: Allowing complex mechanics, such as throw escapes or two-handed stance activation, to be mapped to single-input actions would enhance accessibility. This could also benefit actions like casting channel spells, such as Comet Azur, or executing charged weapon arts that require holding a button for the maximum effect. Simplifying these interactions into single-button inputs would reduce physical strain.
• Hidden Communications: Implementing captioning for Prattling Pate, inventory items that trigger verbal audio when used, would greatly improve accessibility for hearing-impaired players. Additionally, some character emotes in the game, such as “Casual Greeting”, provide a basic form of verbal communication. However, these voice lines are currently not captioned, leaving hearing-impaired users without access to this form of interaction. Adding captions for these vocal lines would ensure that all players can fully participate in these communication mechanics.

Engineer B: The Newcomer

Engineer B’s fresh perspective shed light on how overwhelming Elden Ring can be for players new to the Soulslike genre. Their contributions focused on providing clear guidance and reducing the cognitive load for new players, especially in areas of navigation, system understanding, and UI clarity. Their key insights included:

• Guidance and Organization: In addition to the help offered on each menu, Introducing a centralized Help Menu section would streamline access to tutorials and system explanations, reducing the cognitive load on players. Further, a Journal System to track quests, story interactions, objectives, and multiplayer activities would ensure players are reminded of the tasks they were working on, the players they encountered, and the characters they were assisting in Elden Ring’s vast, open world.
• UI and Visual Accessibility: Text Scale options for menus would provide greater support for varied setups and player vision levels. Additionally, offering an option for solid backgrounds for semi-transparent menus would enhance text readability. For hearing impaired players or ones situationally playing without audio, adding visual indicators for offscreen damage and attack directionality would improve situational awareness.
• Language and Clarity: Refining system messages with simpler, clearer phrasing would make mechanics more approachable. For instance, expanding messages like “This summoning pool is now functional” to include “Your world can now be joined through Multiplayer” would provide better supporting context of what the Summoning Pool does. Standardizing terminology in conjunction with plain language explanations would reduce potential confusion.
• Standardized Keyboard Navigation: Adopting established keyboard navigation patterns, such as using Enter for selection and Escape for backing out, would create a more intuitive and user-friendly interface for players using keyboards. With the current implementation, of E and Q keys, it creates friction when typical controls aren’t working as expected. What would have been an intuitive action of the player, they now need to reference the non-standard key listed on screen.

Collaborative Insights

Despite their differing backgrounds, both engineers identified shared areas of improvement. Their collaborative findings focused on the systemic inconsistencies and barriers within Elden Ring. Key overlaps included:

• Visual Improvements: Addressing low-contrast elements and introducing scalable menu, subtitle, and HUD options.
• Clear Messaging: Consistent and literal language across menus and notifications to reduce cognitive barriers.
• Enhanced Controls: Standardizing and remapping options for both gameplay and menu navigation to support diverse player input preferences.

By combining these two perspectives, we captured a broad spectrum of player experiences. This approach allowed us to craft recommendations that honor Elden Ring’s identity while ensuring it becomes more welcoming to players of all backgrounds and abilities.

Our Insights Imagined

We took our visual suggestions to practice by mocking a redesign of an Elden Ring menu, one commonly accessed yet difficult to process, the Status Menu.

Our Mock-up Changes Explained:

• Increased the Font Size to a minimum of 30 pixels and Line Spacing to 1.5 times the Font Size for maximized legibility. Page Name, Character Name, Level, Section Headers, Menu Explanation, and Controls are larger, 36-60 pixels, to emphasize menu hierarchy.
• Reduced the Horizontal Spacing between labels and values for easier correlation.
• Increased the opacity of the background image to improve Contrast to over 8:1 (previously 5.5:1). The background retains some of its opacity rather than solid black to remind the player of active gameplay.
• Revised ‘Runes Needed‘ to ‘Runes Needed for Next Level’; although wordier it reminds the player of the levelling system requiring Runes.
• Added bars for visual representation of HP, FP, and Equip Load fractions to aid players with Dyscalculia. Partially filled bars such as Equip Load are stylized with a high contrast line break measuring 5.5:1 to legibly differentiate the current amount against the limit.
• Added Column Headers for Resistance, Attack Power and Defense sections. For instance, in the Resistance section, defining the left column as values granted by armor and the right column as the character’s total resistances.
• Added the Section Header ‘Spell Memory’ to help the player infer what Memory Slots are used for.
• Active yet empty Memory Slot icons possess a contrast of 3:2 (previously 1.5:1); inactive slots are lower contrast and foreshadow the maximum of twelve.
• Spell Memory Icon created for consistency by combining Sorcery and Incantation iconography for intuitive recollection of the game’s symbols.
• Swapped the positioning of Resistance and Spell Memory sections, for spatial balance and to reduce the amount of text in the third column.
• Reassigned Controls, such as Back to the keyboard standard Escape key, and matching other controls with an intuitive letter key; for instance H Key mapped to Help (previously G Key).
• Note: Additional Memory Slots and a Great Rune were added to our mock-up to account for additions to the Status menu as the game progresses.

Player Mods

Detailed Item Descriptions: Clarity and Precision

This mod transforms Elden Ring’s item descriptions, tackling many of the information bugs we noted during our pass. The effort and detail put into this mod is astounding, making it an enhancement for players seeking greater clarity in the game’s item systems. Key improvements include:

• Detailed Effect Descriptions: Every item, spell, piece of equipment, and weapon skill now includes precise numerical values and accurate explanations of effects. For example: If an item inflicts damage, the description provides the exact amount. Buffs and debuffs are detailed with specifics on their magnitude and duration.
• Menu Adjustments: With the addition of more information, the game menus called for the restructuring. The modifications to the menus allow for longer, clearer item descriptions. For example: Crafting menus were restructured to display item effects alongside required ingredients. Weapon stats were adjusted to show passive effects more prominently, including details about status effects like poison duration and damage.

To learn more, check out Dziggy’s Mod for Detailed Item Descriptions.

Seamless Co-op: A Game-Changer for Multiplayer

The Seamless Co-op mod revolutionizes multiplayer gameplay, addressing frustrations in Elden Ring’s non-traditional multiplayer system. By removing restrictive barriers, this mod creates a more inclusive experience that allows players to enjoy the game together without interruptions. Highlights include:

• Unrestricted Co-op Sessions: Players can explore the entire map alongside friends, including legacy dungeons and the overworld, without being confined to specific zones. Death no longer ends the session; instead, players respawn at the last bonfire while remaining in the same co-op world.
• Optional Balancing Features: Players can customize scaling settings to ensure difficulty remains aligned with their preferences.

For one of our engineers, this mod bridged the gap between a playable and non-playable experience, allowing them to enjoy the game alongside their partner. This sentiment is echoed by thousands of users who have left comments praising the mod for making Elden Ring more accessible and enjoyable for cooperative play.

To learn more, check out Yui’s Mod for Seamless Co-op.

Proof of Concept

The vibrant modding community has shown how accessibility and creative intent can coexist. Mods like Detailed Item Descriptions and Seamless Co-op have not only addressed some of the game’s accessibility gaps but also demonstrated the demand for such improvements. These community-driven solutions show how inclusivity can enhance the gameplay experience for all players. Integrating similar features natively would make Elden Ring more welcoming to a diverse audience.

Accessibility Impact: By The Numbers

To evaluate the potential impact of implementing our suggested accessibility improvements, we examined global prevalence of various disabilities, the proportion of gamers within each group, and applied a conservative 10% engagement rate. This range-based perspective highlights the potential of accessibility improvements while grounding estimates in realistic, data-driven assumptions.

1. Enhanced Visual Accessibility Options

Disabilities Addressed: Visual impairments (e.g., low vision, color blindness)

• Affected Population Range: 217 million to 2.2 billion affected globally^[1]
• Gamers Among Affected: 21.7-220 million (10% of Population Affected^[2])
• Reach: 2.17-22 million players (10% of Gamers Affected)

Recommended Actions:

• Add scalable UI elements, high-contrast modes, and text customization.
• Incorporate icons alongside color-coded information.
• Ensure legibility and readability across various screen sizes and devices.

Impact:
Providing scalable, high-contrast UI and text options reduces eye strain and boosts clarity for color-blind and visually impaired players.

2. Robust Input Customization

Disabilities Addressed: Physical impairments (e.g., limb differences, dexterity challenges)

• Affected Population Range: 1.7 billion affected globally^[3]
• Gamers Among Affected: 170 million (10% of Population Affected)
• Reach: 17 million players (10% of Gamers Affected)

Recommended Actions:

• Simplify complex button combinations to single inputs
• Allow full remapping of controller controls
• Integrate standardized navigation for menus (e.g., Enter for selection, Esc for back).

Impact:
Full input customization opens the door for players with physical limitations or alternative control preferences, extending Elden Ring to a broader demographic.

3. Cognitive Accessibility Enhancements

Disabilities Addressed: Cognitive disabilities (e.g., ADHD, memory challenges, autism)

• Affected Population Range: 970 million affected globally^[4]
• Gamers Among Affected: 97 million (10% of Population Affected)
• Reach: 9.7 million players (10% of Gamers Affected)

Recommended Actions:

• Introduce a journal system to track quests, NPC interactions, and multiplayer activities.
• Centralize tutorials and game mechanics in a dedicated, persistently accessible Help Menu.
• Adopt features inspired by popular mods like Seamless Co-op, allowing unrestricted multiplayer exploration.
• Utilize standardized Multiplayer terminology such as Host, Join, and Leave Session.

Impact:
Reducing cognitive load benefits everyone: newcomers, returning players, and those with memory or attention challenges. A streamlined journal and help system allows players to reorient themselves whenever they jump back into the game, enhancing engagement. Unrestricted multiplayer modes and clear labelling supports the social elements of Elden Ring, fostering connections with friends.

4. Inclusive Captioning

Disabilities Addressed: Individuals without hearing or with limited hearing

• Affected Population Range: 430 million affected globally^[5]
• Gamers Among Affected: 43 million (10% of Population Affected)
• Reach: 4.3 million players (10% of Gamers Affected)

Recommended Actions:

• Include speaker and narrative critical sound cues in subtitles, upgrading subtitling to captioning
• Visually indicate the direction of incoming attacks on screen
• Implement captioning for players communicating through Gestures and Prattling Pate

Impact:
Players relying on their vision to play, whether they are hearing impaired or situationally playing without audio have improved game awareness and participation in communication features.

5. Comprehensive Audio Accessibility

Disabilities Addressed: Individuals without vision or with limited vision

• Affected Population Range: 36 million affected globally^[6]
• Gamers Among Affected: 3.6 million (10% of Population Affected)
• Reach: 360 thousand (10% of Gamers Affected)

Recommended Actions:

• Support narration for menus, messages, and interactions.
• Include audio description for cinematics, describing on screen sequences.
• Incorporate thoughtful sound cues relating to enemies, environment, and player position.

Impact:
Enhancing audio accessibility allows players who do not rely on sight to engage with the title, considerations that are largely underrepresented in AAA games. Reinforcing audio also benefits sighted players, giving them a more immersive sound scape or support in processing text.

Aggregated Total Reach (10% Engagement)

If we combine all five accessibility categories, the aggregated player reach spans from roughly 33-55.5 million. Even at the conservative end, these figures translate to a sizable boost in adoption.

Financial Considerations and ROI

• Development Cost: Estimated $50,000–$300,000 (1–3 developers over 1–2 months), assuming $10,000–$15,000 monthly cost per developer.
• Potential Additional Sales:
  • Elden Ring has sold over 20 million units as of 2024.
  • A conservative 10% increase in accessibility-driven sales implies 2 million additional units.
  • With retail prices ranging from $39.99 during sales to $59.99 at full price, the additional revenue could total approximately $1.3 billion.

Given the expanded pool of up to 33.5-55.5 million new players, the revenue potential is even more pronounced. This level of return on investment shows how accessibility features can translate into real-world profit margins.

Player Satisfaction and Real Dollars

By embracing accessibility across the spectrum—visual, input, cognitive, and audio—FromSoftware can significantly increase the addressable market for Elden Ring. The investment is comparatively small, yet the financial and reputational returns are enormous.

In summary, the recommended accessibility improvements present an increased revenue potential with the data showing a reach of up to roughly 33-55 million additional players. By adopting these enhancements, Elden Ring would prove that accessibility and challenging gameplay can not only coexist but flourish together.