Civilization V opens up with a not-so unimaginable cinematic that tries to hint at multiple civilization instead of focusing on one. It’s a pretty cinematic, and it does convey the feeling of starting a civilization pretty well… as long as you’re not hearing impaired as it has no subtitles.

It’s basically smooth sailing from there on out for those with hearing impairments as everything spoken in the game from the main menu on is actually more attune to those with hearing impairments than those without. I say this because every time an adviser starts speaking or a monument is completed within the game, far more text is provided than speech - advisers sometimes only read the first line of text, and it doesn’t seem to even be to the first period, just the first line-break.

Taking a step back to look at the options menu for a moment as there isn’t a lot to speak of in terms of accessibility that won’t be machine specific. All there looks to be is the ability to tell the game how often you’d like it to auto-save for you.

All of the text players will encounter are very easily read, as the overwhelming majority is done in a white font on dark gray/black background that is slightly see-thru. Font size may be an issue as it appears to be less than an 8-point font.

Vision is really the only area of concern with Civilization V. Depending on the map players play on, color may be more of issue on some than others. Green, blue, brown, and white are most represented; with other colors coming into play less often.

Building cities will be something players will have to experience for themselves as it took me nearly an entire game to notice the changes that were taking place - suffice to say, zooming in isn’t zooming in enough. I‘m still wondering what the aesthetic difference between a lot of my military is.

Mobility is no problem either; either the mouse or keyboard can be used strictly or in conjunction with one another, nothing is timed, so players are free to play at their leisure.

There is a bit of violence when two opposing forces try and occupy the same cell. It appears to be inoffensive, though I will have to cite a lacking zoom as being the reason I can’t go into great detail. There are sounds of battle to accompany these scenes; they aren’t captioned, but unless they set the mood for you, they probably won’t be missed.

Overall a great game whether an AbleGamer or Able-bodied gamer.

At a glance

Mobility:

Players should encounter very few mobile difficulties with this game; keyboard and mouse can be used on their own or in tandem. Speed is not an obstacle as this is a turn-based strategy game.

Recommended score of 10 out of 10

Hearing:

The game’s opening cinematic is not subtitled. Players in need of more visuals than audio will be very happy with this game as there is more information relayed by way of text than there is by audio. Battle sequences and other important in-game events are all accompanied by a visual - nothing is strictly audio-informative.

Recommended score of 9.0 out of 10

Vision:

Players with visual impairments will have to settle for a less expansive experience as the zoom function isn’t what it could be. This takes away from building cities and watching battles. Depending on which map players are playing on, one color may be more heavily used than others - those encountered most frequently are green, brown, white, and blue, though all colors are used to some degree. In-game text is very well done, if on the small side in most cases. Text appears as a white font on a somewhat see-thru black background.

Recommended score of 8 out of 10