Stem Stumper iPhone Game for the Blind

Ananse iOS/Android App for Visually Impaired

When you browse Apple's App Store or Android's Market, you will find no shortage of games designed to challenge your mind, make you laugh or simply waste time. But when you're blind or visually impaired and rely on a screenreader such as Voiceover built into iOS or Mobile Accessibility for Android, you'll find the number of games designed with screenreader accessibility in mind is much less than the ones without.

Someone who is blind can't, for example, pick up their iPhone and play Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja; those popular games are unfortunately not coded with accessibility in mind. Someone who is blind could, however, play Stem Stumper, the first offering from game developers Ananse Productions.

Stem Stumper Game Play

In Stem Stumper, you play the character of Mimea, a plant always in search of fertilizer. Mimea wants to grow and it's up to you to keep her fed. But it's not always that simple. Stubborn stumps, brick walls, and weed killer block the fertilizer from Mimea's reaching vines.

It's up to you to use the tools of the garden: angry acorns, shields and slingshots to clear the obstacles, make a path to the fertilizer, and feed hungry Mimea.

Flower Power & Replay Value

But watch your flower power levels. The more fertilizers you eat, the more flower power you have and the more flower power you have the more curious carrots you get at the end of each level.

If you run out of flower power before completing the level, you are forced to replay it. If you get three of three curious carrots at the end of a level, you get more points and score higher on the game center leader board.

Each level brings with it new challenges. The paths start out simple and get harder and harder as you progress through the game. There are over 100 levels, giving the game excellent replay value.

Stem Stumper Works with Screen Reader

Although there are many other mobile games accessible to the visually impaired, most of them require the player to turn off his or her screen reader before playing. Stem Stumper is created so that items on the screen will be spoken by a screen reader.

When a player finds an angry acorn, for example, their screen reader will say "angry acorn" and they will also hear the accompanying sound. This gives the game the advantage of being able to be played by both visually impaired and fully-sighted players since it isn't fully audio based and has pictures to go along with the sounds.

Stem Stumper Sonar Mode

If you're feeling adventurous, you can play Stem Stumper in sonar mode. Sonar mode means the screen is blank and only the sounds remain. If you don't have any sight it doesn't make much difference whether you play in sonar mode or not, but sighted players might find it particularly challenging trying to create paths to the fertilizer using only sounds.

The developers recently released 10 new levels, too, so you never really know when the game is officially over. The game would benefit from the introduction of new artifacts as well. Right now, the only ones available are the angry acorns, sling shots, and shields.

But for an accessible game that keeps on growing, Stem Stumper is well worth the $1.99 price point. There is also a free, lite version for those who wanna try before you buy.