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How to judge a video game menu
A menu is more than a decorative title screen: it is the route into play and the systems around it. Game Developer’s UI roundup describes interfaces as a way to connect players with core game systems and influence what they notice and prioritize. Read the 2017 roundup.
- Identity: Does the presentation suit the game?
- Clarity and speed: Is the main action easy to spot and reach?
- Navigation: Do focus movement and control placement make sense?
- Accessibility: Can players adjust or perceive the interface in ways that work for them?
- Purpose: Does the menu help players understand what they can do, rather than just looking impressive?
Returnal: a menu-free route straight into play
Returnal is a useful counterexample to the idea that every game needs a conventional main menu. UI/UX Director Johannes Koski said Housemarque chose to omit both the title screen and main menu, sending players directly into the action. As he put it, “We even made the decision to not have a title screen or main menu at all and take the player always directly to the action.” Koski’s account on PlayStation.Blog, published May 11, 2021.
The choice reflects a gameplay-first approach: reduce interruption and let the game communicate through its interface during play. Koski describes the broader goal simply: “The goal of a game’s UI is pretty straightforward: it guides the player and supports the game.” His account also discusses using audio, haptics, color coding, and information hierarchy to convey gameplay cues.
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Accessibility appears in the options as well. Koski’s account describes controls for subtitle text size, color, language, speaker names, and background opacity, with subtitle changes previewed immediately. These are details of the design described by the developer, not a claim that every player will prefer the same setup.
Forza Horizon 4 and Sea of Thieves: navigation that follows the layout
Good focus movement does not have to be linear. Microsoft’s Xbox Accessibility Guideline 106 contrasts the tile-based main menu of Forza Horizon 4 with the more linear settings menu in Sea of Thieves. The useful principle is that focus order should match the interface’s meaning or operation—or its visual flow when those do not align. See Xbox Accessibility Guideline 106.
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This distinction matters for controller and assistive-technology users: moving through a grid of tiles in a predictable spatial pattern can make more sense than forcing every item into a single sequence. Microsoft’s guidance also recommends giving players the option to turn menu looping on or off, so moving past the last item need not unexpectedly send focus back to the first.
Clash Royale: compact controls without menu layers
In a 2017 Game Developer UI roundup, UX director Om Tandon singled out Clash Royale for surfacing controls and using swipeable tabs instead of making players descend through layers of separate menus. That makes it a historical example of a mobile interface that keeps useful actions close at hand—not a claim that it is the current or universal standard for mobile game menus. Read the roundup.
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What the strongest menus have in common
Make the route to play obvious
Apple’s WWDC17 game-design guidance says that even a complex main menu—with elements such as news, tournaments, and stores—should keep the play or start action visually dominant. A menu can offer plenty to explore without making the first step into the game hard to find. See Apple’s WWDC17 session.
Keep controls predictable and information distinct
Apple recommends consistent control placement across screens and a clear visual distinction between interactive elements and status information. Its presenter advises designers to lay out their screens together and check them for consistency. Predictable placement makes an interface easier to learn; clear distinctions help players tell what they can activate from what is only telling them something.
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Include options that accommodate different players
Apple’s WWDC17 guidance discusses inclusive features such as captions, text sizing, handedness choices, color-blind modes, and sonic interfaces. Apple’s presentation cited 285 million blind or low-vision people worldwide in 2017; that is a historical figure from the presentation, not a current estimate. Apple Developer, WWDC17.
These examples earn their place for different reasons: Returnal removes the front end to preserve momentum, Forza Horizon 4 and Sea of Thieves show how navigation can reflect layout, and the 2017 Clash Royale example demonstrates compact access to controls. The best menu for a particular game is the one whose style and structure serve its players and the experience the game is trying to create.
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