ReFantazio's and Persona's Menus Are Insanely Stylish. But Also \"Annoying to Do\"

ReFantazio and Persona's Stunning, Yet Tedious, Menus

Persona series director, Katsura Hashino, recently revealed the surprisingly challenging process behind creating the series' iconic and visually impressive menus. While players admire the sleek UI, Hashino confessed the design process is far more laborious than it appears.

In an interview with The Verge, Hashino explained that unlike the typical streamlined UI development approach, the Persona and ReFantazio menus require unique, custom designs for each individual menu. This meticulous attention to detail, while resulting in beautiful and functional interfaces, is, in Hashino's words, "really annoying to do."

The time commitment is substantial. Hashino recounted the difficulties encountered during Persona 5's development, where initial menu designs proved "impossible to read," necessitating extensive revisions to achieve the perfect blend of aesthetics and usability.

The payoff, however, is undeniable. The visually striking menus of Persona 5 and Metaphor: ReFantazio have become a significant element of the games' identity, adding to their immersive experience. This visual richness, however, comes at a cost of significant development time and resources.

Hashino emphasized the complexity, stating that each menu, from the in-game shop to the main menu, runs as a separate program with its own distinct design. This commitment to detail has been a hallmark of the Persona series since Persona 3, reaching a new level of sophistication in Persona 5 and further amplified in the high-fantasy setting of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

While Hashino acknowledges the "annoying" nature of the development process, the stunning results speak for themselves. Metaphor: ReFantazio launches October 11th for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders are now available.