Reigns Access

Reigns Access is an accessibility mod for the PC version of Reigns. It adds screen reader output and complete keyboard navigation so blind players can play the game start to finish.

Game description (from the Steam store page)

"Sit on the throne as a benevolent (or malevolent) medieval monarch of the modern age."

Reigns is a swipe-driven monarchy sim built around constant decisions. Each card presents a request from advisors, peasants, allies, or enemies, and you swipe left or right (your “royal controller”) to impose your will. You face a seemingly never-ending gauntlet of requests while balancing the church, the people, the army, and the treasury. Every choice has consequences that can end a reign and put your dynasty at risk.

• An Unpredictable Kingdom: Each year brings another important, seemingly random request. Careful planning helps, but surprise events, hidden motives, and bad luck can end even a long reign.
• Dynasty Expansion: Extend your dynasty across ages, forge alliances, make enemies, and discover new ways to die. Some events span centuries, with intrigue that can involve witches, science, politics, and darker forces.
• Royal Challenges: Pursue goals at the start of a reign to cement your legacy and unlock new cards and content.
• Eclectic Presentation: A score by Disasterpeace complements elegant gameplay and bold art direction.

Features

• Full keyboard control for gameplay, menus, dialogs, narrative screens, and death screens.
• Screen reader output via Tolk (NVDA, JAWS, etc.).
• Spoken feedback for card text, options, stats, and objectives.
• Localization support with JSON language files.

Requirements

• Reigns (PC, Steam).
• Tolk.dll available to the game process.
• nvdaControllerClient64.dll available to the game process.
• BepInEx 5.x (only if you use the standard package without bundled BepInEx).

Links

• Reigns on Steam
• BepInEx downloads (stable releases)
• BepInEx installation guide

Installation

First-time install (bundle with BepInEx)

Use this if you downloaded the release .zip that already includes BepInEx.

1. Extract the .zip.
2. Open the extracted folder.
3. Copy all files and folders from it to the Reigns game root folder (the same folder as Reigns.exe).
4. Launch the game and wait for the “mod loaded” announcement.

First-time install (standard package, no bundled BepInEx)

Use this if you downloaded the standard release .zip.

1. Install BepInEx 5.x into the Reigns game folder.
2. Launch the game once with no mods installed so BepInEx can create its folders (like BepInEx/plugins/).
3. Close the game.
4. Copy Tolk.dll and nvdaControllerClient64.dll into the game root folder (the same folder as Reigns.exe).
5. Copy ReignsAccess.dll into BepInEx/plugins/.
6. Launch the game again and wait for the “mod loaded” announcement.

Updating to future versions

If Reigns Access is already installed and working, future updates only require replacing:

• BepInEx/plugins/ReignsAccess.dll

After replacing the DLL, launch the game normally.

Quick start

• Launch Reigns and start a new game or continue.
• Use the shortcuts below to read cards, navigate menus, and make choices.
• During gameplay, choices require two steps: the first Left/Right selects the option and the second Left/Right confirms it. This is Reigns' core mechanic, not a mod behavior.
• If you change the game language, press F5 to reload the mod strings.
• To return to the title screen, you must close the game and open it again.

Keyboard shortcuts

Global

Key	Action
F5	Reload the mod (use after changing game language).
Esc / P	Open the pause menu (from gameplay).

Gameplay (card decisions)

Key	Action
Up	Read current card (character + question).
Down	Read all stats.
Left	Swipe left (No).
Right	Swipe right (Yes).
R	Repeat current card or intercalated text.
E	Read both options (without stat changes).
T	Read which stats will be affected.
A	Read Church stat.
S	Read People stat.
D	Read Army stat.
F	Read Treasury stat.
I	Read king info.
O	Read objective.
H	Help.
Q	Silence speech.

Pause menu

Key	Action
Tab	Next tab.
Up / Down	Move between items.
Left / Right	Adjust values.
Enter	Activate selected item.
Backspace / Esc	Close menu.

Dialogs

Key	Action
Left / Right	Move between buttons.
Enter	Activate selected button.

Quit dialog

Key	Action
Left / Right	Move between buttons.
Enter	Confirm.
Esc	Close.

Narrative screens

Key	Action
Up / Down	Move between narrative text and Advance button.
Enter	Repeat text or activate Advance.
Space	Advance.
R	Repeat current item.
H	Help.
Q	Silence speech.

Death screen (Game Over)

Key	Action
Up / Down	Move between death text and Advance button.
Enter / Space	Repeat text or advance.
R	Repeat current item.

Special screens (title and kingdom sub-screens)

Key	Action
Up / Down	Move between items.
Enter	Activate (when available).
R	Repeat current item.
Backspace / Esc	Close the current screen.

Tips and known issues

• After changing the game language, press F5 to reload the mod strings.
• There is an unmapped screen at the very end after the king dies. Press Enter to continue.
• If you have died several times and want to fully restart the game, go to the title screen and, when you hear the music, hold R. A dialog will appear asking if you want to restart the entire game.
• To fully close the game, use Alt+F4.

Translations

See TRANSLATE.md for how to add or update language files.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and guidelines.

Disclaimer

Reigns Access is a fan-made accessibility mod and is not affiliated with Nerial or Devolver Digital.