Atlus released Persona 3 Reload on February 2. The game quickly garnered a lot of attention for its sleek and innovative UI/menu design, but what were the inspirations behind it?

ペルソナ3、メニュー画面で何を開いても全力のオサレUIで殴りかかってくる最高のゲーム pic.twitter.com/V1hnrcFVOD
— ふわふわチンチラ吸い太郎 (@kumiromilk) February 2, 2024

Post translation: In Persona 3 (Reload), whatever screen you open in the menu, you’re met with full-power stylish UI, it’s the best game ever

Persona 3 Reload is a remake of Atlus’s adventure RPG Persona 3, which came out in 2006 for the PS2. Reload is compatible with the PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Office) and can be played via Game Pass.

Persona 3 Reload’s launch was met with a lot of excitement, but its UI design went viral in particular, as players worldwide started sharing screenshots and videos of the game’s elegant menus on social media and calling them the sexiest video game menus they’d ever seen.

When you open the main menu of Persona 3 Reload, the protagonist is depicted sinking into water. The menu uses the recognizable blue palette of the original Persona 3, featuring sleek and unique animations such as characters’ faces being reflected on a shard of glass and cards flipping over to reveal options.

Atlus’s Persona series actually has a history of popular UI design – Persona 4 featured a distinctly elegant style, and Persona 5 received high praise for its even more sophisticated menus and presentation. Game creator Masahiro Sakurai named Persona 5 as an example of a video game with stylish UI design, even calling it his favorite game UI on his “Creating Games” series on YouTube.

Now, with Persona 3 Reload, the series seems to have reached a new height with its UI design. The art director of Reload is Tomohiro Kumagai, who was also involved in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal. Speaking to Famitsu, Kumagai revealed that Reload’s UI design was conceived based on the original blue color of Persona 3 and the themes of flowing water and bubbles. In contrast to Persona 5, which had a pop-punk design that combined anti-establishment motifs with pop style elements, Kumagai envisioned Port Island and Yakushima Sea, as well as “the sea of the protagonist’s mind” for Persona 3 Reload’s design. The remake’s menus were apparently created by consulting the staff of the original game while incorporating latest techniques to elevate the level of presentation.

Interestingly, the 3D model of the protagonist seen on the menu screen of Persona 3 Reload was made specifically for the UI. The model was created to express facial expressions, motion and a sense of being “suspended in air.”

Furthermore, Ryota Niitsuma, the producer of Persona 3 Reload, said that he had the impression that the entire Persona team was working on the game’s development with a shared awareness of the importance of the UI. He also praised the team’s flexibility and overall proficiency, such as Kumagai’s ability to coordinate ideas proposed by the team members.