Fourteen years after its release, Resident Evil 5 received a major update on PC! This classic third-person shooter was known for bringing co-op to the Resident Evil franchise and is now getting new life with an update for the PC version of the game. Two weeks ago, the Steam update removed the Games for Windows Live requirement. It added local split-screen Co-op and fixed various bugs. However, this update to Resident Evil 5 also slipped in some hidden accessibility options.
I love Resident Evil 5 for all of its over the top action. But the QTE’s in the game were always a pain to deal with, especially as someone with fine-motor skill impairments. Shooting infected was fun, but tapping X in cutscenes was less fun. Imagine my surprise when I boot up an old save file of the game and see that the QTE’s are completely gone! It turns out that the update added an option for the game to assist with QTE’s or have them auto-complete.
Action Assist
This feature is labeled “Action Assist” and can be turned on or off anytime in the options, under game settings. It also seems that when starting a new campaign on the easiest difficulty (Amateur), there will now be a prompt asking the player if they would like QTE’s set to auto-complete. It should be noted that this feature does not assist with every single instance involving a QTE. More specifically it applies to the cinematic cutscenes that include QTE’s. Looks like that infamous boulder punching scene will still require help from the player.
To be fair, an assist mode has been available on the console versions of the game for years. The update simply brought the PC version back in line with its console counterparts. Still, disabled gamers will surely benefit from the added accessibility to Resident Evil 5. It’s great seeing Capcom give some love to one of their classics and make it accessible to even more players. Hopefully, this will encourage more developers to take a second look at their older titles. Capcom is proving that it’s possible for games to be accessible regardless of age.
