A blind gamer’s question changed the direction of my game

Hi everyone,

I’m an indie developer, and I wanted to introduce myself and share a game I’ve been working on called Couch x Crawler.

The easiest way to describe it is Tamagotchi x DnD.

It’s an idle RPG where your character continues adventuring while the app is closed. You check back later to see what happened, collect rewards, care for your character, and send them back out on new expeditions.

A few months ago I shared the game on another gaming subreddit. A vision-impaired player asked whether the game worked with VoiceOver.

The honest answer was: not very well.

That question ended up changing the direction of the project. I started listening to feedback from blind and low vision players, posting on AppleVis and AudioGames, and learning where the experience was falling short.

One of the most helpful experiences was having Blind Gamer Steve review Version 2 of the game on YouTube. His feedback, along with feedback from other players, helped identify areas that needed improvement and directly influenced many of the accessibility updates in Version 3.

Since then I’ve spent months improving accessibility throughout the game.

Version 3.0 includes:

• Better VoiceOver labels, hints, traits, and input labels
• Improved mini game accessibility pacing
• Clearer reward collection buttons
• Better screen reader support for purchases, upgrades, and confirmations
• Improved labels for eggs, character choices, inventory, ingredients, and expedition results
• Various navigation and accessibility improvements throughout the game

The update also adds new gameplay features including New Game+, egg hatching, upgrades, additional mini games, music, and sound effects.

The game is a one-time purchase with no ads, subscriptions, energy systems, or battle passes.

More importantly, I never want price to be the reason someone can’t play. If you’re interested in trying the game but cost is a barrier, send me a message and I’ll do my best to help.

I’m still learning and still improving accessibility, so I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from anyone willing to try it. If something is difficult to use or could be improved, I want to hear about it.

Blind Gamer Steve’s Version 2 review:

https://youtu.be/PPqF4i9PeA0?is=B18FTsJ0B-NLLTFW

iOS:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/couch-x-crawler/id6758249866

Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tristan.couchxcrawler

Website:
https://couchxcrawler.com

Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone whose feedback has helped make the game more accessible.