Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Blind Accessibility Impressions

This image is a digitally illustrated collage in a classic adventure style, strongly evoking the look and feel of Indiana Jones movie posters. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what it shows: • Central Figure: In the middle is a man wearing a brown fedora and a rugged leather jacket. He has a serious expression and looks ready for action. This character resembles Indiana Jones. • Left Side: • A woman holding a flaming torch, wearing a green shirt, appears to be an adventurer or archaeologist. • Below her is a scene with the Great Pyramids of Egypt and desert structures, suggesting an Egyptian location. • Right Side: • A man with slicked-back hair, glasses that reflect light so his eyes are hidden, and a stern expression is holding a red glowing object. He looks like a villain or rival. • Underneath is a serene river scene with a boat and a large golden Buddha statue, suggesting a Southeast Asian setting. • Background Elements: • A stylized map forms the backdrop, with faded lines and travel routes. • A looping rope travels across the image, connecting scenes and characters, giving a sense of global adventure. • A small plane is flying near the top, trailing smoke, with silhouettes of parachuting figures—adding a sense of drama and action. The entire artwork is warm-toned, dominated by shades of gold, brown, and red, enhancing the vintage adventure theme.

Hello, dear readers! My name is Victor, and I am a totally blind gaming, technology, and entertainment journalist. I am also an ambassador for universal design, an accessibility consultant, advocate, tester, and public speaker. 

As a lifelong Indiana Jones fan, I was thrilled at the announcement of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The promise of stepping into Indy’s shoes, cracking whips, solving ancient puzzles, and embarking on a globe-trotting adventure was irresistible. However, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment upon discovering that the game is not accessible for blind players.

In my YouTube video, I document my experience attempting to play the game independently. Spoiler alert: I didn’t get far. The video also delves into potential solutions that could have made the game accessible for players like me, those who are totally blind but eager to engage with immersive, narrative-rich adventures.

To its credit, the game offers several accessibility options, including button toggles instead of holds, aim assist, and larger fonts. These features are commendable but insufficient for blind players. The absence of menu narration, audio navigation cues, and interaction prompts renders the game unplayable for us.

There is a glimmer of hope as the developers have announced plans to integrate text-to-speech functionality in a future update. This is a positive step, and I hope it signifies a broader commitment to inclusive game design.

Although I couldn’t experience the adventure firsthand, Alina played the game, and together we explored its rich narrative. We were captivated by the game’s cinematic quality: the compelling story, diverse locations, and exceptional voice acting. It’s obvious that the development team invested significant effort into crafting an engaging experience.

Set in 1937, between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, the game follows Indiana Jones as he uncovers a mystery involving ancient sites forming a perfect circle around the globe. Players journey from Marshall College to the Vatican, Egypt, Thailand, and beyond, encountering intriguing characters and formidable adversaries along the way. 

Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies as we venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Despite these compelling elements, the lack of accessibility features for blind players is disheartening. As a blind gamer and advocate for accessibility, it’s frustrating to be excluded from such a richly crafted experience. I remain hopeful that future updates will address these shortcomings and that with time more players will get to embark on this thrilling adventure.

For a more in-depth look at my experience and suggestions for improvement, please watch my YouTube video. Let’s continue the conversation on making gaming more inclusive for everyone, because as the Xbox tagline goes, when everybody plays, we all win.

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Victor Dima

Owner and Founder at victordima.net
Victor Dima is a Blind Gaming Journalist and Accessibility Ambassador, Living in Oslo with his wife Alina. Victor was the first journalist in Romania to receive the PS5 & the PS VR2 from PlayStation. He is also working closely with Xbox Nordic and other game publishers such as Ubisoft, Ea, Bungie, Activision, blizzard, square Enix, Capcom, Rockstar Games, Sega, PlayStation studios, WB Games, Bethesda and many others. With over 12 years of experience covering the Gaming Industry, he started victordima.net in 2013 and since February 2022 all his articles are posted in English in order to reach a more global audience. He is the owner and founder of the highly successful PlayStation Fans Romania Facebook Community, the largest independent source for PlayStation News in Romania, on social media with almost 35.000 followers. Victor is also running theAudiobookBlog.com. You can reach Victor at contact@victordima.net

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