The Resident Evil 2 remake preserves many of the terrifying components that made the original a pillar of the then-budding survival horror genre while updating the 20-year-old title to meet modern expectations. Well, some modern expectations, I should say. While the overhauled graphics and more dynamic camera perspective are lovely, its accessibility options seem to be stuck in 1998.
According to the Resident Evil 2 remake accessibility review on the site Can I Play That, the remake becomes practically unplayable for deaf and hard of hearing players because only its dialogue has subtitles. This is fairly useless in a game where auditory indicators are the only way to know if a zombie’s shuffling closer to you. If you think Mr. X is terrifying now, imagine him and his fedora popping up at random.
Susan Banks and Courtney Craven launched Can I Play That in 2018 hoping to expand the idea behind their now-retired Deaf game review site to the entire community of disabled gamers. All content is written by these players as they review games based on their accessibility and write about how and why they play the games they do. They also discuss how developers can improve going forward, even drawing up helpful reference guides that break down the basic accessibility options players with reduced mobility or hearing impairments need.
Most importantly, Can I Play That strives to keep the conversation about accessibility alive, regardless of how or if it relates to the latest hit game. Editor-in-chief Craven told Digital Trends she ultimately wants Can I Play That “to become a go-to for both gamers and devs to learn about accessibility,” from what a game needs to be accessible and how to do it right to the many ways it can go horribly wrong.
Read more here.