ReFantazio and Persona Menus: Stylish, But Not User-Friendly

Metaphor: ReFantazio director Katsura Hashino admitted that those gorgeous menus in the game and in the Persona series in general were a developer’s headache to create. Read on to learn more about what the Persona director said about the matter.

Persona Director Admits Menus Are ‘Annoying to Do'Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio Menus Take 'a Lot of Time' to Make, Hashino Said

In a recent interview, renowned Persona director Katsura Hashino shed some light on one of the series’ most talked-about features: its menus. While Persona fans have long admired the game’s sleek, stylish UI, Hashino admitted that creating these visually stunning interfaces is far more "annoying" than it looks.

Speaking to The Verge, the Persona director admitted that, "In general, the way most developers make UI is very simple. That’s what we try to do as well—we try to keep things simple, practical, and usable. 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."

This laborious process often consumes more development time than expected. Hashino also recalled how early builds of Persona 5’s iconic, angular menus were "impossible to read" at first, requiring numerous tweaks before they struck the right balance of functionality and style.

The allure of menus, however, has not gone unnoticed. Both Persona 5 and Metaphor: ReFantazio stand out for their visual design that simply screams personality. In fact, for many players, the elaborate UI has become as much a hallmark of these games as their rich narratives and complex characters. Yet, this visual identity comes at a cost, and Hashino’s team has had to dedicate significant resources to perfecting it. "It takes a lot of time," Hashino admitted.

Hashino’s frustrations aren’t without reason. The recent Persona games are known for their stylish, sometimes over-the-top aesthetics, with the menus playing a major role in shaping each game’s distinct feel. Every piece of the UI, from the in-game shop to party menu, feels as though it is crafted with 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 extensive.

"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."

The challenge of balancing functionality and aesthetics in UI design seems to have been a core aspect of Persona development since Persona 3, and it has only reached a new peak in Persona 5. Hashino’s latest project, Metaphor: ReFantazio, pushes these boundaries even further. Set in a high-fantasy world, the game’s painterly UI draws upon the same principles but amplifies them to fit a grander scale. For Hashino, the menus may be "annoying" to create, but for fans, the result is nothing short of spectacular.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is set for release on October 11 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Moreover, pre-orders are now open! For more details on the game's release date and pre-order options, check out our article below!