SOLAS 128 Launching on Itch.io with Accessibility Update

Hey all, Tom here!

Big news today, my game, SOLAS 128 is finally launching on itch.io! Not only that, it launches with a huge Accessibility Update, plus a 34% off sale, to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

Accessibility has been a core part of the design of SOLAS 128 from the start. The coloured glyphs are designed to help those with colour-blindness be able to play the game, for example. But I was aware it wasn't perfect. Since launch on other platforms earlier in the year, we've had fantastic feedback and suggestions from players and accessibility experts, and I've been working on a big update to make the game even more customisable!

Players will find a whole extra menu of options full of player-requested options like being able to tweak the bloom or colour distortion amount, or even an entirely new input method for those who struggle to hold down buttons. Keyboard input has also been massively improved, to allow more accurate movement with the cursor/WASD keys, and a new hotkeys have been added to skip straight to the next or previous piece you can interact with.

If you're not sure, please do try out the demo/prologue version embedded in the page first, as I've updated it as well, to made sure all the same options are available. If you can customise the demo to work for you, you'll be able to customise the full game too!

For a full list of new features/updates see below, and I really hope you enjoy the game!

-Amicable Animal

Visual Options (for visual processing accessibility)

1. Settings for the bloom/glow effect (original, low, off)
2. Settings for colour distortion/chromic aberration (original, low, off)
3. Option for the VHS-style video distortion effects (on, off)
4. Settings to simplify the game's surrounding border pattern (original, static, solid colour)
5. Option for the 'flashing' effect in the surrounding pattern (on, off)

Input Options (for motor accessibility)

1. New input type - original input is click & drag, new option removes requirement to hold down a button while dragging. One click to pick up, a second to put down
2. New optional precision input method - directional keys (d-pad on Switch) will move the cursor locked to the game's tile grid, rather than as a smooth input.
3. Can either be depressed once per tile, or held down as desired
4. Analogue/mouse and precision input can be swapped between freely and used at the same time
5. New selection method - Next/Previous selection option lets players with visual processing issues or motor issues cycle through selectable pieces.