Persona Menus: A Beautiful Headache for Developers

Katsura Hashino, the renowned director of the Persona series, recently revealed the surprising truth behind the series' iconic and stylish menus. While players admire their sleek design, Hashino confessed that creating them is far more challenging than it appears.

In an interview with The Verge, Hashino explained that while most developers opt for simple, functional UI designs, the Persona team strives for both functionality and aesthetic excellence. This commitment leads to unique, meticulously crafted designs for every single menu. This, he admitted, is "really annoying to do."

The time investment is substantial. Hashino recalled the difficulties encountered during the development of Persona 5, where early menu iterations proved nearly illegible, requiring extensive revisions to achieve the perfect balance of form and function. The process, he stressed, "takes a lot of time."

The payoff, however, is undeniable. The visually striking menus of Persona 5 and Metaphor: ReFantazio have become a significant part of the games' identity, adding to their rich narratives and memorable characters. But this visual richness comes at a cost—significant resources are dedicated to perfecting each element.

Hashino highlighted the complexity of the process: "We have separate programs running for each of them as well," he explained. "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."

This dedication to visual detail, a hallmark of the series since Persona 3, has culminated in the stunning menus of Persona 5 and the even more ambitious designs in Metaphor: ReFantazio. The high-fantasy setting of ReFantazio demands a grander visual scale, further amplifying the design challenges. While Hashino finds the process "annoying," the results are undeniably spectacular.

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