ReFantazio's and Persona Menus: Insanely Stylish, Yet UX Nightmare

Persona's Stunning Menus: A Labor of Love (and Frustration)

Persona series director, Katsura Hashino, recently revealed the surprisingly arduous process behind creating the series' iconic, visually striking menus. While players admire the sleek UI, Hashino confessed to The Verge that the design process is far more challenging than it appears.

Hashino explained that unlike the simpler UI approaches common in game development, the Persona team strives for both functionality and aesthetic excellence in each menu. This dedication to unique, individual designs for every menu, from the in-game shop to the party menu, significantly increases development time and complexity. He cited the initial iterations of Persona 5's angular menus as an example, initially difficult to read and requiring extensive revisions.

The distinctive visual style of Persona 5 and Metaphor: ReFantazio's menus has become a defining characteristic of the games, yet this visual richness comes at a cost. Hashino emphasized the extensive time investment, noting that each menu essentially runs as a separate program with its own dedicated design.

This pursuit of a perfect balance between functionality and visual appeal has been a hallmark of Persona development since Persona 3, culminating in the highly detailed menus of Persona 5 and further amplified in the fantasy setting of Metaphor: ReFantazio. While Hashino acknowledges the "annoying" nature of the process, the results speak for themselves, captivating players with their spectacular design.

Metaphor: ReFantazio launches October 11th on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders are now open.