RPG maker Atlus has become celebrated for the unique UI designs in its games, from the Persona series to the more recent fantasy epic Metaphor: ReFantazio.
I spoke with Metaphor’s UI designer Koji Ise at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) to discuss the creation of the game’s UI and how it conveys a sense of “cool”.
“There are various ways of interpreting cool,” said Ise. “But if we’re simply looking at the aesthetics, it should be pretty simple and easy for designers to create that. The important part is to tie [the UI] in with the tone of the game and weave that into the game narrative. Being able to tie all that together with the game itself is what I consider to be something that’s cool.
“I think a game that achieves that is a game that has designs that are just unique to that title alone, something that other titles cannot achieve,” he added. “I think that sort of design is what I would consider to be cool.”
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UI is hugely important in setting the tone of a game as it appears across a game during gameplay, in menus, and more. “I think it is a powerful tool to control the overall kind of impression that the game gives off,” said Ise.