I can never have too many JRPGs in my library. Everyone knows about my slightly obsessive adoration for the Pokémon series, but my love for the genre extends far beyond capturing powerful monsters. Between the turn-based combat, visually stunning environments and individualistic party customization, JRPGs are incredibly entertaining and physically accessible. Coromon is the latest game to pique my interest, and its E3 demo left me craving more.
Developed by TRAGsoft, Coromon tasks players with collecting the essence of six powerful titans to rid the world of evil. Your character, along with their respective team of Coromon, will traverse a myriad of dungeons and landscapes to accomplish this monumental goal. Even though my demo was relatively brief, this game combines numerous tropes of the JRPG genre to create a familiar yet unique gaming experience. Yes, you capture and fight other opponents with creatures like Pokémon games, but the puzzle solving and exploration mechanics felt akin to Zelda and Contact.
Again, since my demo was short, I cannot accurately assess how accessible this game will be for physically disabled players. However, the presented options, combined with the specific dungeon scenario, felt incredibly accessible for my needs.
For starters, Coromon offers several control options such as controller, mouse and keyboard and even touch screen capabilities for devices that support the feature. I chose to utilize a mouse and keyboard for my demo, but only needed my mouse to complete every action. Currently, no keys can be rebound, but when a game offers complete control with a single device that can be used by one hand, I certainly won’t complain.
Coromon’s demo did not feature any encounters or instances where rapidly pressing buttons was necessary, nor are players required to hold specific keys for prolonged periods, aside from sprinting. However, there is an option to toggle constant sprinting if physically disabled players need to alleviate their hands.
Coromon becomes a rather peculiar title to examine, specifically when discussing its overall ease of access. As a traditional JRPG, battles are turn-based, and speaking to NPCs does not require precise or rapid movement. While some dungeon traps may necessitate a quick turn, the dangerous objects offer plenty of time to dodge before striking your character. Yet, the control schemes and their subsequent options are just strange, to say the least. If players decide to use a controller, they have the capability to customize every input. However, keyboard players do not have that luxury. And even though the mouse can be used entirely on its own, players need to consistently hold the left mouse button to move, and in an expansive JRPG, that can become incredibly tedious. There are third-party alternatives, such as the use of a virtual keyboard, but no in-game actions that can fix these issues.
I am beyond excited to jump into the full release of Coromon. Despite its perplexing movement schemes, the game is incredibly accessible for physically disabled players. During my play through, the developers assured me that accessibility was a priority. Hopefully, the full release will rectify my concerns. And if not, I will still eagerly jump into the world of Coromon, just at a slower pace.
