If you are looking for a new whimsical point-and-click adventure, with a focus on offering fun for all through innovative accessibility features, then you need to check out Stories of Blossom, which is available to play right now!Â
Accessibility has become a higher priority focus for a lot of modern gaming studios. However, in the case of Soft Leaf Studios, and their new title Stories of Blossom, accessibility has always been the number one priority from the get-go.
The title received a lot of interest during development for its focus on accessibility, with a laundry list of considerations taken into account to accommodate every type of player.
If you want to have a quick look at all the features implemented into this colorful storybook adventure, take a look right here.Â
The title is currently available in its entirety on Steam for just £12.86/$15.29 as an introductory offer until the 23rd of August 2023, and for those that are on the fence regarding if this title is for them, you can play the demo for free.
What’s Stories of Blossom?
The main focus has been on the inclusive design of this title, but let’s not get distracted from the fact that Stories of Blossom offers a fun storybook, point-and-click adventure containing three short stories, and a bunch of clever puzzles to keep you engaged throughout.
The stories are told by Clara’s Grandfather, and will see you play the role of an astronaut, a pirate, and an adventurer as you explore these beautifully illustrated worlds, meet a cast of cute creatures and uncover the secrets of each.
Wholesome Indies have been all the rage in the last few years, and we can firmly say that Stories of Blossom very much fits the bill here, providing a calm and serene puzzle adventure experience, made with every gamer in mind.
Soft Leaf On Accessibility
As someone with a long-running grudge with select indies for including barebones accessibility options such as a vibration toggle, and nothing else. Looking at you, Ship of Fools.
I personally love to see a game take accessibility seriously. However, you might want to know what Soft Leaf, the developers of Stories of Blossom, think of accessibility in gaming.Â
Well, taken from lead developer Conor Bradley’s LinkedIn account, he had this to say regarding accessibility in gaming:
Accessibility is not an add-on.
From the very beginning we should be thinking about ALL of our players, and the barriers we are unintentionally creating for them.
It is so important we collaborate with the disabled and neurodiverse communities to help minimise these barriers so more people can enjoy the games we make.
Then to add to this, Lead UX Researcher for this project, Ella Walsh, had this to say on launch day regarding her experience working on Stories of Blossom:
Working on making a game accessible for those with cognitive, visual, auditory and motor conditions from ideation through to release was an eye-opening and challenging experience, and incredibly rewarding.
Often in UX you are asked what you are most proud of, my answer has always been the work I have done on Stories Of Blossom to make it an equal, inclusive and fun experience for the players.
This focus on accessibility hasn’t gone unnoticed by the gaming community at large, as Stories of Blossom was awarded the Access Ability 2022 ‘Indie Outdoing The AAA Competition Award,’ an award that will most likely not be the last for this plucky indie.
We wish Soft Leaf every success regarding Stories of Blossom and any future projects! For more indie gaming news and content, stick with us on IGC!
Further Reading
Hey, want more accessibility indie content, or maybe something a little different? Well, then take a look at these:
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