Silent Hill 2 Remake lets you disable "all UI elements" for "the most immersive experience", and you'll be told where to go by visual, sound, and character cues

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The Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team will allow you to turn off all UI elements for a more immersive experience, and there's also a '90s-style filter paying homage to the original horror classic...

...Which released in 2001. I'm giving the Bloober goobers a pass on this since the first Silent Hill game came out in 1999 and thus just barely makes the cut, but I also couldn't not point out the irony. But yes, there will be a '90s-inspired filter with "grain effect, color correction and screen adjustments to complete the old-school experience."

The original Silent Hill 2 famously had zero on-screen UI during gameplay sequences, not even a health bar, which made getting lost an essential part of the experience. However, if you decide to disable the HUD in Silent Hill 2 Remake, Bloober says you'll then start seeing and hearing visual and audio cues to let you know what you're supposed to be doing. For example, the main character James will glance toward areas of interest and display different animations and facial expressions when he's wounded, presumably to let you know you should heal up.

It's wild how quickly and effectively Bloober Team has flipped the whole conversation around Silent Hill 2 Remake on its head. Since its announcement in 2022, there's been widespread concern in the horror community about the studio's ability to do justice to such a beloved IP and title, but as soon as hands-on previews started appearing a couple of weeks ago, there was a seismic and positive shift in confidence around the project.

Our own Silent Hill 2 Remake hands-on preview is one of many expressing optimism, even if it is a decidedly cautious optimism. Now the optional UI and nostalgic filter represent yet another feather in Bloober's cap as we ride out the last few weeks until the remake's October 8 release date.

Is there any doubt which title topped our list of the best Silent Hill games?