Naughty Dog has teased even more features from the upcoming remake of The Last of Us Part 1 and it includes accessibility features. In an official video, which currently has no proper subtitles, the game is showcased alongside developer commentary talking about how they were originally constrained by technology. With the remake, one accessibility feature is the presence of an industry first that finds cinematic cutscenes narrated for players who are blind in a AAA title.
We’ve already had confirmation that The Last of Us Part 1 will have expanded accessibility features, but it wasn’t revealed exactly what. Thanks to a segment at 5:35, it’s revealed that cinematic cutscenes will have an option for audio descriptions, which means blind players will be able to not only hear the scene’s dialogue, but also take in the visual detail. This feature is shown as a small demo in the video.
In addition, the game will have 3D Audio which can be useful for those that benefit from the spatial awareness when playing. There’s also mention about haptic feedback with the DualSense controller, but this is explained more for immersion of general elements such as clambering, falling, combat, rather than for useful cues for Deaf and hard of hearing players. However, just because it wasn’t mentioned here doesn’t mean the feature could be absent from the game itself.
The Last of Us Part 1 is set to launch on September 2, 2022 and the price point has been a hot topic online. Coming in at $70, players appear to be put off by the price of such an old game. However, the video and features detailed show that it’s certainly a hefty remake utilising a new engine. The Last of Us Part 1 and the new accessibility features will also mean that disabled players will be able to experience the original game where the original launches were inaccessible due to barriers.
