Retro Studios’ Jon Wofford opened up about his work on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in an X post recently. A lead UI artist for the game, Wofford has also worked on Metroid Prime Remastered, as well as Bioware’s Anthem and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
He shared some details on his ArtStation page about how he and the rest of the team went about designing the HUD (heads-up display) and FUI (fantasy or fictional user-interface). Referring to the HUD’s development as a “labor of love,” Wofford made sure to credit the “wizards” at Retro Studios who helped turn his ideas into reality. He also pointed out the “amazing VFX, environment art, character art, and lighting” that was on display in the announcement trailer, and that we’ll be seeing on our Nintendo Switch consoles come 2025.
While the HUD in games is used primarily to relay important information to players, FUI is aimed at immersing the player and acting as visual storytelling. In the case of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the HUD seems to have a weapon selection interface, a health bar, and an ammo counter for Samus’ trusted missile launcher, among other things. Wofford said that this new HUD was meant to be a “modern update to the visor that honors the Metroid Prime legacy.” Considering that it seems to take up less space and stands out less than the HUD from the original trilogy, perhaps “modern” in this sense is meant to be read as “minimalist.”
Meanwhile, the FUI, as Wofford notes, can be seen through effects and animations while using Samus’ scan visor- a staple of the Metroid Prime series- as well as in computer displays in the environment. Something to keep in mind, however, is that there could be dozens of these displays present in the final product- and yet, that represents but a fraction of all the work that’s being put into the game. When looking at it like that, it puts into perspective how challenging development can be. It might even explain why Nintendo restarted development of the game in 2019, after realizing that the task at hand required Retro Studios’ talent to step in.
As more news breaks about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, we’ll start to learn how the game performs on Switch, and how Wofford’s and Retro’s work will be used in service of Samus’ next mission- which, from the looks of it, could be her most stunning yet. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available, and as the release draws ever closer.
Anthem had massive flaws, but UI and graphics wasn’t one of those.
It looks great. Good job to the designer!