Silent hill 2 is a game that was originally released in 2001 and remade and released in 2024. Without spoilers, the story is about a man named James who visited the abandoned town after receiving a letter from his deceased wife of three years Mary. But the town has taken a sinister turn…

I recently started playing it for the first time and beat it, and thoroughly enjoyed it so I decided to play it again on a harder difficulty, that is when I started looking through the settings and noticed something interesting

When looking at the text subheading I found the option for a typeface that would be best for a someone with dyslexia, and it just hit me, why aren’t more digital UI’s doing this? A lot of people struggle with dyslexia, with 1 in 10 people in the UK struggling with the condition. It doesn’t hinder the game at all in fact I’d argue the font looks more scary due to its rough look and child like handwriting.

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And it’s not just for subtitles either, you can see the dyslexic typeface being used in some UI elements like in the games hints or the text next to the button icons.

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I also noticed while looking through the settings some more inclusive features such as a radio state indicator which would be helpful for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, as in the game you have a radio that helps you know when monsters are nearby through its static.

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This is a far better and more catered experience of UI compared to the original 2001 game, I feel this helps shows the remake isn’t just a simple cash cow it has been remade from the ground up and pushed further for newer players and those with disabilities as well

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My key takeaway from this is to work to further push inclusion in UI, someone shouldn’t have to miss a great experience because they can’t hear or struggle to read. And Silent hill 2 (2024) is a step in the right direction

I feel I should keep this in mind when developing user interface for my future projects, obviously it is a lot of work but it would be a nice touch and inclusive for everyone. One thing I wonder here is what is the User experience and interface like for someone who is blind? Is there a way to improve their experience? If so how?

But in conclusion Silent Hill 2’s faithful remake has not only been true to the adaptation but has gone further to be more inclusive to those who may be dyslexic and deaf which has helped solidify the game to be loved by both old fans and new.