ISOLUS

Project Overview

Platform: PC, Consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X)
Engine: Unreal Engine 5.5
Team Size: Solo (Daniel Prieto Caldera)
Development Time: 2-Week Sprint (Final Module Project)
Project Type: UI/UX Design for a Single-Player Stealth Game

A refined UI prototype emphasizing minimalism through sleek white elements and shadowy depth, designed to harmonize with a gothic, Victorian-inspired medieval world. Targeting fans of atmospheric games like Thief and Dishonored, this interface balances modern simplicity with immersive functionality.

TRY IT OUT!

Uncharted-Inspired Level Design: Giant's Gullet

Concept & Environment Design

Setting: A brooding, plague-ridden medieval city rife with political intrigue and occult mysteries. Players assume the role of a rogue alchemist navigating shadowy estates and cursed crypts.

Key UI Elements:

Dynamic Menus: A flat-design main menu with matte white panels and subtle drop shadows, evoking parchment-like simplicity. Navigation icons use clean sans-serif typography.
Minimalist HUD:
- Health/Stamina: Slim white bars with soft shadow outlines, positioned discretely at the screen’s edge.
- Interaction Prompts: White text on semi-transparent charcoal boxes, appearing only when actionable objects are near.
Radial Ability Wheel: A circular shadowy overlay with white alchemical icons (smoke bombs, lockpicks). Activated by a button hold, it expands smoothly with a faint glow.
Environmental UI: Diegetic elements like spectral maps (white ink on shadowed scrolls) and rune-etched tablets floating in-world.

Design Intentions

Modern Minimalism: Prioritize clean lines, negative space, and restrained animations to avoid visual clutter.
Contrast & Depth: Use shadowy boxes (dark gray, 80% opacity) to ground white elements, ensuring readability across lighting conditions.
Diegetic Integration: Blend UI into the world via subtle thematic touches (e.g., faint gothic borders on tooltips).
Adaptive Visibility: Dynamic opacity adjustments for UI elements based on environmental brightness.

Technical Execution

Engine: Unreal Engine 5.5 for real-time lighting (Lumen) to cast dynamic shadows on UI elements.
Materials: Custom shaders for matte white panels and semi-transparent charcoal overlays.
VFX: Subtle particle effects (e.g., floating dust motes in menu backgrounds).
Sound Design: Soft chimes for UI interactions; ambient whispers during stealth sequences.
UI Design: Designing all of the elements of the UI to be rescalable, highly functional and up-to-date.

Artistic Intentions

Aesthetic Harmony: White elements echo the game’s alchemical motifs (e.g., powdered reagents); shadows mirror the setting’s gloom.
Thematic Touches:
- Icons inspired by medieval engravings, rendered in white.
- Loading screens feature minimalist white line art of gothic spires against shadowy voids.
Tension & Atmosphere: Screen distortions mimic cursed visions (rippling shadows, faint static) during enemy encounters.

LAST PROJECT

NEXT PROJECT