Shades of Doom

Shades of Doom is an action game developed by GMA Games. However, this game is not another Doom or Quake copy, since it was made for the visually impaired.

Shades of Doom uses multi-layered sound for orientation and ambiance. This game will surprise even non-visually impaired people. In the game, you are sent to a research base to shut down an experiment gone wrong, only to find a horde of mutants in your way. Once you launch the game, which has a menu like Doom's but it is spoken out to you, you will start hearing alarm sirens. This is how you start guiding yourself, you hear your steps and the sound of objects and enemies nearby. You also have a computer that analyzes your surroundings in case you need it. I am not visually impaired, but I used 3D headphones and practiced a little bit with the sounds. I also read the manual which contains information on how wide the halls are, how much you move when you walk and so on. After some minutes of practicing you can get the hang of it really quickly, which is very impressive indeed. The demo mode only features 9 levels, and the full version costs 35 dollars. Combined with the experiences of visually impaired persons, then you really get amazed of what this game has achieved. It truly shows what computers are capable of and how they can even adapt to certain situations. Although it has been flying under the radar, Shades of Doom is a technological achievement and a great game for the visually impaired.