“Flawless Darkness: A Labyrinth Escape Game for Visually Impaired Gamers Coming to Steam”

General video games are difficult for visually impaired people to enjoy. It is necessary to understand what is happening on the screen and manipulate it in detail, because most visually impaired people find it difficult or impossible to grasp such visual information.

On the 23rd, a labyrinth escape game that even visually impaired people can enjoy attracted the attention of gamers by starting Tumblebuck funding. The name is Flawless Darkness, and the game is being developed by a single developer named Old Ice.

A feature of this game is that all processes of escaping the maze are conducted in complete darkness. Therefore, the player must escape by obtaining a hint using only auditory information. In other words, both visually impaired and non-disabled players play in the same environment.

Even in the trial version released by the actual developer, there is no special graphics other than pressing the keyboard. You have to play by listening to the guide voice of the host, and if you press the space bar to use the radar, you can figure out what is in front of you. In addition, if you press the direction keys, the sound of walking comes out, and if you encounter a beast at a specific location, the corresponding sound effect is played. Other wind noises and other sound effects help the player understand the current situation.

Developer Old Ice said that his major (visual design) was related to the background of making the game. Through his Tumblbug page, he said, “One day, I felt that what I learned at university was of no use to blind people, and I began to wonder how they live in the world. As a result, we made a game that allows disabled and non-disabled people to have the same play experience,” he explained the story behind the production.