Stylish menus in Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio "really annoying to do", says director

"It takes a lot of time."

Atlus' RPGs - the likes of the Persona series and this week's Metaphor: ReFantazio - are well known for their stylish menus, but it turns out they're "really annoying to do".

That's according to director Katsura Hashino who discussed the menu design with The Verge.

"In general, the way most game developers make UI is very simple. That’s what we try to do as well - we try to keep things simple, practical, and usable," said Hashino.

"But maybe the reason that we’ve achieved both [functionality and beauty] is that we have unique designs that we make for each and every menu. This is actually really annoying to do. We have separate programs running for each of them as well. Whether it’s the shop menu or the main menu, when you open them up there’s a whole separate program running and a separate design that goes into making it. It takes a lot of time."

From selecting options in battle to evolving Persona or Archetypes, the menu designs in Atlus' games have been praised for their balance of flashiness and usability, so perhaps that annoyance is all worth it. On the other hand, some players are put-off by how busy they are.

Over time, Atlus has evolved its menu style to achieve that balance. "How we achieve both of them together is by the know-how that we built up over years," said Hashino.

For instance, there were angular elements in Persona 5's menus that hindered legibility. "It was impossible to read at first," he said, "so we did lots of tweaking and adjusting so it became legible."

Image credit: Atlus / Eurogamer

Image credit: Atlus

From menus to battle, Metapho: ReFantazio exemplifies Atlus' style

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest RPG from Atlus, building upon the systems and style of the Persona games.

"Persona veteran Atlus flexes its expertise with a fresh take on high fantasy. What it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in grandeur and heart," reads our Eurogamer Metaphor: ReFantazio review.

Metaphor: ReFantazio will be released on 11th October across PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.