If you’re new to the awesome that is Bioware, via the Mass Effect games and Dragon Age: Origins, you may have missed a little gem called Jade Empire. Originally an Xbox game, it was revamped for a Windows XP Special Edition, and is now available on Steam for the PC.

The game takes place in a fictional land that is based on ancient Chinese dynasties. You begin your journey by picking one of a number of preset characters to be the favored student at a martial arts school, admired by some and resented by others, and possessed of a mysterious past that will shape your fate and the course of your adventures.

Your mentor at the school is much revered, but the secret of his true past and your future are inextricably linked. Yes, this may all sound somewhat familiar, but take heart: the story and storytelling go into new and interesting directions as you are forced to leave the school and set out to save the kingdom.

Based on your dialogue and other choices, you will find yourself following the Way of the Open Palm or the Way of the Closed Fist, akin to the Paragon and Renegade routes from Mass Effect. As in that game, following one path or the other will close off certain dialogue and gameplay options, and open up others; also as in that game, neither choice is presented as morally superior. That said, the continuum pretty obviously goes from “nice guy” to “jerk,” but at least you can have equal amounts of fun with either path.

As with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, once a character joins your group you may take him or her along with you into combat. However, your option for controlling your NPC friends is limited to whether they provide offensive or defensive support during combat.

As you defeat certain enemies or complete other tasks, you will collect different fighting styles ranging from combat weapons to transfiguration. Four of these styles are instantly available via hotkey, but the others can be swapped in during combat.

Ghosts, demons, assassins, and warriors will be your friends and enemies as you progress through Jade Empire. While the graphics may feel a bit clunky compared with newer games, Bioware’s familiar mix of memorable characters, romance, action, and twisty storylines is what really stands out here.

Game Accessibility

Although not quite on the same par with Dragon Age: Origins, Jade Empire offers a number of useful features for disabled gamers. There are four different options for subtitles (all, all but movies, dialogue-only, or none), and they are displayed in white on a darker overlay for easy reading against any background. In conversation with NPCs, the last line of each dialogue remains on the screen until you’ve chosen your response.

Color blind gamers will have no problems here. Anything that is communicated with color, such as the gems for your Dragon Amulet, also comes with textual description.

There are two different fonts in the information screens; the more commonly used one is an easy-to-read sans serif, but there is also a fancier font used at times which is a little harder to read, and especially against some backgrounds. The font size is adequately large.

The game has three difficulty levels to begin with, and a fourth that can be unlocked after your first playthrough. In keeping with the setting they are amusingly called student, master, grand master (“The spectre of death shrouds the hero, and every step is fraught with peril”), and Jade master.

Additionally, there is the option to pause the game during combat. This feature is not as robust as Dragon Age players have come to enjoy, but it is extremely useful for gamers with cognitive issues. When paused, you can select a new combat style or even access the game menu.

In Focus mode, you can slow down time during combat. You’re limited to how long you can stay in Focus, but you can choose to build your character in a way that increases that amount of time. You have unlimited saves and can save your game at any time (except in combat, of course).

There are ten levels of mouse/controller sensitivity, and the ability to configure keyboard, controller, and/or mouse. Motion-impaired gamers may encounter some difficulties as the game cannot be played with only a mouse due to the WASD movement. It is possible to play it with only the keyboard, however.

Aside from the regular gameplay, there is an arcade-style mini-game where you have to steer an airship around enemies while attacking. If this type of game gives you trouble, never fear -- after the first time you play it, you will be given the option to “Attack” or “Evade,” and the second choice will skip the mini-game.

At a Glance:

Motion impaired: 7/10
- Can be played keyboard only
- Cannot be played mouse only
- High controller customizability
- Ten levels of controller sensitivity

Vision impaired: 8/10
- Color blind friendly
- One clear font, one more difficult font
- No way to change fonts

Hearing impaired: 9/10
- Four options for subtitles, from full to none
- Easy-to-read subtitles

Miscellaneous:
- Three difficulty levels to begin with
- Combat pause
- Focus mode that slows combat
- Full savability

Precision Some
Deaf gamers: Check. No issues.
Subtitles: Check. Fully subtitled.
One-handed: Alert. Can play keyboard-only but not mouse-only
Color-blind: Check. No issues.