Returnal
Game UI/UX
Work
UI/UX
Agency
PlayStation
Industry
Gaming
Year
2019
Returnal is a 2021 third-person shooter game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. It follows Selene, an astronaut who crash lands on a mysterious planet and finds herself trapped in a time loop. I was brought on early in the development of the game to define the UI style and create a theme that could be used throughout the game.
Finding the right style
The UI needed to feel immersive and part of the game. We were looking for an industrial, functional and simplistic style with lo-fi technology, something that would be displayed on CRT monitors within the game.
Pushing a chosen route
The team liked the look of the simplistic angular shapes and large buttons, something Selene herself could be pushing to access information — using boxes and hard edges to fill the the screen. I expanded on this route and pushed the UI further.
The final look
The final style was inspired by the game story; it is a utilitarian system with functional technology. The UI is part of Selene’s suit, it is accessed via her wrist PDA and it’s also displayed on CRT monitors on her ship. It has an industrial feel to it as the system is made by Astra Corp and is not overly futuristic. Components flicker and draw in as the suit is damaged after crash landing.
SAMPLE VIDEO
Working on the HUD
While working on the game menus I also looked at the in-game HUD, exploring how to show all the critical game information while controlling Selene. The work was in parallel and then towards the end I incorporated the same style from the menu UI to make it feel part of a cohesive system.
Additional world UI
We wanted the game to have some diegetic UI elements — elements that exist directly within a game's narrative world, visible and accessible to both the player and the in-game characters — enhancing immersion and uniting the game narrative. Selene’s suit would flash when a cooldown is ready or sound-waves would come out of her suit to alert both her and the player of danger.
Returnal
Game UI/UX
Work
UI/UX
Agency
PlayStation
Industry
Gaming
Year
2019
Returnal is a 2021 third-person shooter game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. It follows Selene, an astronaut who crash lands on a mysterious planet and finds herself trapped in a time loop. I was brought on early in the development of the game to define the UI style and create a theme that could be used throughout the game.
Finding the right style
The UI needed to feel immersive and part of the game. We were looking for an industrial, functional and simplistic style with lo-fi technology, something that would be displayed on CRT monitors within the game.
Pushing a chosen route
The team liked the look of the simplistic angular shapes and large buttons, something Selene herself could be pushing to access information — using boxes and hard edges to fill the the screen. I expanded on this route and pushed the UI further.
The final look
The final style was inspired by the game story; it is a utilitarian system with functional technology. The UI is part of Selene’s suit, it is accessed via her wrist PDA and it’s also displayed on CRT monitors on her ship. It has an industrial feel to it as the system is made by Astra Corp and is not overly futuristic. Components flicker and draw in as the suit is damaged after crash landing.
SAMPLE VIDEO
Working on the HUD
While working on the game menus I also looked at the in-game HUD, exploring how to show all the critical game information while controlling Selene. The work was in parallel and then towards the end I incorporated the same style from the menu UI to make it feel part of a cohesive system.
Additional world UI
We wanted the game to have some diegetic UI elements — elements that exist directly within a game's narrative world, visible and accessible to both the player and the in-game characters — enhancing immersion and uniting the game narrative. Selene’s suit would flash when a cooldown is ready or sound-waves would come out of her suit to alert both her and the player of danger.
Returnal
Game UI/UX
Work
UI/UX
Agency
PlayStation
Industry
Gaming
Year
2019
Returnal is a 2021 third-person shooter game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. It follows Selene, an astronaut who crash lands on a mysterious planet and finds herself trapped in a time loop. I was brought on early in the development of the game to define the UI style and create a theme that could be used throughout the game.
Finding the right style
The UI needed to feel immersive and part of the game. We were looking for an industrial, functional and simplistic style with lo-fi technology, something that would be displayed on CRT monitors within the game.
Pushing a chosen route
The team liked the look of the simplistic angular shapes and large buttons, something Selene herself could be pushing to access information — using boxes and hard edges to fill the the screen. I expanded on this route and pushed the UI further.
The final look
The final style was inspired by the game story; it is a utilitarian system with functional technology. The UI is part of Selene’s suit, it is accessed via her wrist PDA and it’s also displayed on CRT monitors on her ship. It has an industrial feel to it as the system is made by Astra Corp and is not overly futuristic. Components flicker and draw in as the suit is damaged after crash landing.
SAMPLE VIDEO
Working on the HUD
While working on the game menus I also looked at the in-game HUD, exploring how to show all the critical game information while controlling Selene. The work was in parallel and then towards the end I incorporated the same style from the menu UI to make it feel part of a cohesive system.
Additional world UI
We wanted the game to have some diegetic UI elements — elements that exist directly within a game's narrative world, visible and accessible to both the player and the in-game characters — enhancing immersion and uniting the game narrative. Selene’s suit would flash when a cooldown is ready or sound-waves would come out of her suit to alert both her and the player of danger.
