{"id":1152276,"date":"2026-02-08T10:05:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T10:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=541810"},"modified":"2026-02-08T10:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T10:05:23","slug":"this-underrated-sci-fi-horror-game-has-the-coolest-ui-design-since-dead-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/this-underrated-sci-fi-horror-game-has-the-coolest-ui-design-since-dead-space\/","title":{"rendered":"This underrated sci-fi horror game has the coolest UI design since Dead Space"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Experimental user interface design is worth admiring. When done right, a game\u2019s UI can not only serve the vital role of communicating important game mechanics to the player, but convey something deeper about the universe the player\u2019s avatar inhabits and how they themselves view the world.<\/p>\n

One of the most memorable examples of this is the RIG (\u201cResource Integration Gear\u201d) system in Dead Space<\/a><\/em>, which localizes the inventory, weapons, and health meter of protagonist Isaac Clarke to a sleek and compact interface visible via a small holographic projector on his back. The brilliant, diegetic design takes the information the player needs to know and incorporates it directly into the game\u2019s universe, from keeping track of Isaac\u2019s health bar and ammunition counter to playing audio logs collected throughout the USG Ishimura and projecting cutscenes.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, there haven\u2019t been many games since Dead Space<\/em>\u2019s initial release in 2008 that have attempted to replicate, let alone improve on, the game\u2019s approach to diegetic interfaces. That is, however, with one notable exception: the 2017 sci-fi stealth horror game Echo<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Developed by Danish indie studio Ultra Ultra, the game centers on En, a young woman who awakens aboard a sentient starship after a century in hypersleep. All we know is that En suffered a gunshot wound to her abdomen before embarking, and London, the ship\u2019s artificial intelligence, is pissed with her for reasons that won\u2019t become entirely clear until much later on.<\/p>\n

We soon learn that En\u2019s destination is a mysterious planet that houses a \u201cpalace\u201d of untold wonders, including the ability to resurrect the dead. Shortly after landing on the planet\u2019s surface and discovering that it\u2019s in fact an ecumenopolis, a supermassive structure which houses the so-called palace itself, En encounters the echoes: artificial doppelgangers of herself created by the palace in order to stop anyone from obtaining the power within. In order to succeed, En must find a way to defeat these immortal, infinitely multiplying enemies who can copy her every move.<\/p>\n

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Echo<\/em> is one of my all-time favorite games. Developer Ultra Ultra\u2019s creative reuse of assets, character models, and motifs masterfully evokes a sense of eeriness and horror<\/a>, while the chess-like game mechanics<\/a> are pure elegance. The game\u2019s ornate, futuristic aesthetic was even inspired by Alexander McQueen and the Palace of Versailles<\/a>. Hell, even Echo<\/em>\u2019s menu screen is an overt reference to the opening of \u00c6on Flux<\/em><\/a>! I could talk on and on and on<\/em> about all the things I love about this game, but like Dead Space<\/em>, its diegetic \u201chudsphere\u201d interface is especially underrated.<\/p>\n

Shortly after landing on the planet\u2019s surface, En is given a space suit equipped with a \u201chudsphere,\u201d a color-coded radar-like interface that encircles her body in a light-blue-tinted aura. The radius of the hudsphere acts as the player\u2019s compass, pointing them to their next objective as they traverse the winding corridors of this immense palatial structure. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s only after encountering the echoes for the first time, though, that the hudsphere\u2019s full functionality comes to the forefront. The closer En is to an echo, the more the suit\u2019s interface reacts in proximity to a potential threat. A blue fractalized shimmer along the surface of the sphere indicates the presence of another humanoid entity; a yellow shimmer indicates the player is about to be noticed, while a red fractal shimmer means the player is being targeted by an attacker. When En is attacked, a quick-time prompt will appear on the HUD, allowing her to break free. After surviving an attack, red spikes will appear inside the hudsphere, signaling that she is vulnerable and will not survive another attack until they have disappeared.<\/p>\n

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All of this is explained in-universe as a part of the suit\u2019s \u201cassist\u201d mode, which also braces En\u2019s fall whenever she leaps from a great height and stops her from worsening her injuries if she runs for too long. One of my favorite elements of the hudsphere, though, is its \u201carea scan\u201d functionality, which sends out a pulse wave that expands the sphere\u2019s radius, tagging all echoes in your immediate vicinity at the cost of momentarily blinding you to close incoming threats. No matter how many times I use it, it always feels sleek and effortlessly futuristic. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not even mentioning that, after En draws her pistol to attack, the radius of the hudsphere will seamlessly unfold to become the gun\u2019s reticle. You can even tag enemies to your HUD from afar if you hover the reticle over them long enough. Nearly every element of the game\u2019s broader mechanics and systems is reflected through the hudsphere\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

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