Sony previously hinted at some of the new accessibility features in "God of War: Ragnarok" and the lead UX designer behind the game has opened the floodgates for accessibility when it comes to game design.

"We are committed to improving accessibility and customization for everyone," Mila Pavlin, the lead UX designer of "God of War: Ragnarok," posted on a Playstation blog.

"It was apparent that the accessibility features needed to be better, 100%," she said to the BBC in reference to the difficulties that disabled players faced with the first installment of the game released in 2018. It wasn't just players who had visual or hearing impairments who faced difficulties, but players who are unable to use controllers conventionally or who have other disabilities.

"They were many gamers who wanted to play in 2018, but were unable to because of things like low vision, motor issues, cognitive or hearing disabilities. We wanted to make sure that everyone was included," explained Pavlin of the work she and her team did.

The features are immensely varied and it's obvious that Pavlin and her team have expanded from their previously built accessibility features from their work for "The Last of Us: Part 2." Some of the features included are small, such as changing how captions are read on screen by giving players a variety of options to make them more visible. This includes blurring or darkening the background, with multiple opacity settings. Text size can also be changed and it's not limited to captions, it includes the user interface text. Captions now include sound effects and cinematic sounds.

Colored text can even be used to differentiate between speaker names, subtitles, and captions. There are seven available color options for this.

One feature that's designed for visually impaired players is the high contrast mode. This allows players to apply colors to a variety of items and characters, from enemies to targets to items. The background can also be desaturated with color customization by the player.

Certain navigational and traveling features can be automated, like vaulting and jumping over gaps. Players can also choose to have assistance when it comes to climbing and crawling.

The features seem endless, especially considering they aren't commonplace in the gaming industry just yet. Pavlin's work, and the decision of Sony to invest in accessibility features, is an incredible step for disabled gamers to be included. It's also a smart financial decision and broadens the game's audience. Players who may have stepped away from AAA titles because they did not have accessibility features, or enough features, are now an open market and this encourages continued growth in the gaming industry.

"We want to show that blockbuster games can open up their worlds to brand new players, making sure that players of all walks of life are able to play. The learning we have implemented, we want to spread across the industry to create more accessible games everywhere," said Pavlin.

On her Twitter, Pavlin thanked the experts and community members who advised her and team on how to make the game's features as inclusive as possible.

Sony Gaming