Persona Director Concedes Menus Are ‘Difficult to Develop’Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio Menus Require 'Considerable Time', Hashino Stated
Speaking to The Verge, the Persona director acknowledged that, "In general, the way most developers create UI is very straightforward. That’s what we strive to do as well—we try to keep things simple, practical, and user-friendly. But perhaps the reason that we’ve achieved both functionality and aesthetics is that we have distinctive designs that we create for each and every menu. This is actually really irritating to do."
This painstaking process often consumes more development time than anticipated. Hashino also recalled how early versions of Persona 5’s iconic, angular menus were "unreadable" at first, requiring numerous adjustments before they achieved the ideal blend of functionality and style.
Hashino’s frustrations aren’t unwarranted. The recent Persona games are known for their stylish, sometimes extravagant aesthetics, with the menus playing a major role in shaping each game’s unique feel. Every piece of the UI, from the in-game shop to party menu, feels as though it is crafted with meticulous attention to detail. While the goal is to create a seamless experience for players, the effort required to make everything flow smoothly behind the scenes is considerable.
"We have separate programs running for each of them as well," Hashino said. "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."
Metaphor: ReFantazio is slated for release on October 11 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Furthermore, pre-orders are now available! For more details on the game's release date and pre-order options, check out our article below!