15 Woefully Underused Single Player Gameplay Mechanics

Diegetic HUDs and UI

A screen packed with health bars, strength gauges, waypoints, and icons can lead to lost immersion in the player. All those distractions – when overdone – can break a player’s relationship to a game’s environment. In contrast, diegetic HUD and UIs are designed to fit right into a game’s narrative, like it’s something the player character would interact with in their world. Dead Space’s ingenious decision to weave vital health and statis stats to the back of Isaac Clarke’s suit sits right up there as one of the most immersive ways games have displayed HUD information to a player.