‘Horizon Forbidden West’ accessibility features are detailed ahead of the game’s launch next week

Guerilla Games has named several sets of settings to enhance the accessibility experience in playing “Horizon Forbidden West.” The sequel is one of the biggest games scheduled to launch in the early part of 2022.

In a new blog post on Thursday, the developer showed a preview of the accessibility settings that will be supported in the game. A GIF screenshot of the “Horizon Forbidden West” Settings menu was also shown, and it includes a dedicated tab for accessibility options.

Guerilla noted that some accessibility features will be enabled by default, including subtitles. “Horizon Forbidden West” players will be able to adjust the font size and text background of the subtitles to improve their visibility based on their needs.

Whether players are new to the IP or have forgotten information from the first game, Guerilla will make it better for them to learn about the names of the characters and machines through in-game “Notebook.” It will serve as an encyclopedia, where “Horizon Forbidden West” players can also access guides on how to perform basic moves in the game.

“Horizon Forbidden West” will have five different difficulty levels, which is already more than the usually available options. But Guerilla also confirmed that a new Custom Difficulty setting will be introduced in the game. It will allow players to tweak certain aspects of gameplay difficulty, such as the level of damage Aloy can inflict or receive from enemies.

While the game is a single-player experience, Guerilla is adding a new Co-pilot System whereby a second controller gains mirrored controller access using a second user profile. This feature will be supported on both PS4 DualShock and PS5 DualSense controllers. And when combat becomes difficult to win, “Horizon Forbidden West” will have gameplay assist settings, where players can enable features like Aim Assist.

Some of the most helpful accessibility features are included in the “Horizon Forbidden West” audio and visual settings. Players can adjust the level of camera shake and motion blur to lessen eye discomfort while playing. “Audio-wise, there are individual volume controls for music, speech, and sound effects,” Guerilla added. “You can also force Mono Audio, and you can remove Tinnitus sounds – these are triggering sounds (e.g. machine shrieks) which are similar to Tinnitus sounds.”

Players can check out more accessibility settings and features that will be available in the game on this blog post. “Horizon Forbidden West” will be released on PS4 and PS5 on Friday, Feb. 18.