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The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown's sound-based gameplay is an achievement in accessibility

J
Jason Fanelli
26 de jul. de 2023

While The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown features sword fights, castles, and everything else you'd expect from a grand adventure set in a medieval fantasy world, it's in a league of its own thanks to one simple subversion: Its main character—the one acting as the eyes of the player—is blind, aside from a few sparkles of color to signal the type of environment she's in, the game is played in darkness from start to finish. 
The Vale Shadow Of The Crown Sound Based Gameplay Is An Achievement In Accessibility Colours

The Vale is an audio-based adventure where players must tune in to the world around them through a combination of environmental cues and a controller's haptic feedback, which make it one of the most fascinating experiences in gaming. Instead of seeing the world around the main character, they—and in turn the player—have to hear it, which requires a lot of attention and creates a level of immersion other games can only aspire to. 

Here's an example: Upon returning to her home early in the game, our hero needs to speak with a blacksmith whose shop is located in a crowded marketplace. The market, naturally, is a disorienting cacophony of voice and sound, and yet the rumbling clang of a smith's hammer can be heard ever so slightly among the rabble. By keying onto that sound, moving toward it, and recognizing when it grows louder, the smith can be located to continue the game. 

The Vale leans on its incredible sound design and voice acting in moments like this throughout its 5+-hour adventure. No matter where in this darkness-shrouded kingdom our heroine finds herself, the player can figure out where to go, what to do, and how to do it by simply having a keen ear. There are a few RPG-style elements that players will find familiar,  like upgradeable gear, magic spells, and even a companion or two, but all of it is hidden in the same darkness. 

Perhaps the most clever use of sound here is in combat, in which the player must listen for the correct direction to block an attack or strike the opponent. Audio cues will signal where the enemy is standing in relation to the hero, and the player must react in kind or risk taking damage—or worse. It's hard to describe without experiencing it firsthand, but it's one of the most novel combat systems in all of gaming. 

All of this ties into the beauty of the experience: No matter how powerful the hero becomes, no matter how adept she is in combat, the world never changes for her. It will always be dark, and the player must adapt in kind. Accessibility is a word that holds a lot of weight in the gaming world, and few games are as accessible as The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown. And it's all thanks to its one-of-a-kind aural approach.