Bayonetta 2 Named "Most Accessible" Game of 2014

The AbleGamers Charity, a group that provides news and reviews about the accessibility of mainstream games, on Tuesday announced the winner of its annual most accessible game of the year award. The winner, after much deliberation, was Platinum Games' Wii U hack-and-slash action game Bayonetta 2, which GameSpot gave a perfect 10/10 in our review earlier this year.

The AbleGamers' Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year Award is given to a title that shows "excellence in accessible game design." Last year's winner was EA Sports' FIFA 13.

In explaining its decision to give the award to Bayonetta 2, AbleGamers explained that Platinum's game "pulls out all the stops for accessible game design," resulting in a "near-perfect" example of accessibility, despite being released exclusively for a platform historically known to be unfriendly to people with mobility disabilities.

The charity specifically mentions that Bayonetta 2 allows players to choose from multiple control options, including Wii U GamePad, Pro Controller, or the GamePad's touch screen.

In addition, AbleGamers praised Bayonetta 2's visual style for being appealing even to players affected by colorblindness.

"Bayonetta 2 stands out among other accessible mainstream games by paying careful attention to user friendly game experience," the group said. "The inclusion of a one-button combat mode creates an experience other character action titles should implement. As a proof of concept, this game demonstrates that accessibility can be implemented into a mainstream AAA game without harming any of the gameplay."

Other games in contention for the Most Accessible game award for 2014 included Hearthstone, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby, Tropico 5, The Sims 4, and Civilization: Beyond Earth.

AbleGamers also today announced the results of its deliberations for the most accessible indie game of 2014, giving the award to two titles: Always Sometimes Monsters and This War of Mine. The charity praised Always Sometimes Monsters, a text-based game, for the way in which it allows users to play at their own pace. Meanwhile, AbleGamers lauded This War of Mine, a title that aims to show a civilian perspective on war, for its controls and its colorblind-friendly visual approach.

"We could not choose between these two games," AbleGamers said. "Even with one game being mostly text-based, the other a point and click, and both more accessible than action games by default, they still deserve applause for doing accessibility the right way."