• This week the new DLC for Horizon Forbidden West was made available for the PS5 owners, with a new patch for the 2022 title also landing.
• The new patch offers up several accessibility features, including one for players with a fear of deep bodies of water, AKA thalassophobia.
• The accessibility features will work on both Forbidden West and Burning Shores.

If you enjoyed last year’s Horzion Forbidden West, you’re likely aware that the first DLC for the title from developers Guerrilla Games, Burning Shores arrives today. Along with the new DLC, the studio behind the game has released a new patch featuring some interesting accessibility elements.

To that end, it specifically address players with a fear of deep bodies of water, AKA thalassophobia.

In a Reddit FAQ from Guerrilla Games, it details what its new accessibility features aim to address, and how they will work in-game.

“Thalassophobia – This feature aims to ease thalassophobia symptoms by improving underwater ambient visibility and allowing you to breathe indefinitely, regardless of story progression,” it explains. Given how much of Forbidden West requires players to complete tasks, missions, and some boss fights underwater, it is indeed a helpful addition for those who suffer from this fear but wish to enjoy the game.

The other accessibility features are as follows:

• “Improved UI readability options – Added options to increase waypoint and quest icon sizes.
• Navigation Assist – Added an option to assist the player’s orientation during a quest, with a new option added in Focus mode to face the camera towards the current objective. Additionally, if the user has a waypoint set the camera will prioritize aiming towards this direction.
• Color Blind settings – Added new color blind accessibility options.
• Auto Camera – Added an option to allow the camera to follow your movement behavior from the left stick without having to control it with the right stick.
• HUD Vignette – Added an option to add a vignette to darken the edges of the screen, increasing contract and improving HUD readability.
• Auto Pickup – Added an option to automatically collect pickups without button-press interactions from the player.
• Improved Subtitle Sizes – Increased the size of subtitles for the Large and Extra Large options.”

With Burning Shores’ release on the horizon (apologies), Guerrilla says these new features will also be accessible in the DLC.

“All features previously implemented for Horizon Forbidden West will work in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores,” it concludes.

If you are interested in the Burning Shores DLC, available on PS5 alone, watch the launch trailer below. Pre-order pricing for the DLC is currently R359 in SA.