Greyvale OS is a fictional operating system that exists within the world of Shattered, used to run the complex work at the Greyvale Facility. At multiple points throughout the game, players will interact with this system on terminals and control panels. It was therefore important to create a cohesive visual and interaction style to aid in the world building and the overall player experience.

I established a visual styleguide for all of the game’s UI. Due to the constraints of VR, through testing we realised that thin lines, ornamentation and serif fonts would render poorly on the Meta Quest screen, and in different light level environments. Instead, the style leans on clear contrast, large angled shapes, light grunge and a legible grotesque sans. The UI is given the illusion of 3D depth through the use of layering and parallax motion. All of the typography was also localised for our several supported languages.

Shattered’s main menu exists within a creepy old art nouveau mirror that appears inside the players living room. The glass shards of the mirror contain each level of the game. By reaching out, grabbing, and shattering these shards, players can turn any flat surface of their space into a doorway to virtual reality.

As a detective, Jessica needs to collect evidence and equipment throughout the game to solve puzzles and delve deeper into Greyvale. To help with this, I designed the game’s radial inventory system which springs from the player’s dominant virtual hand. Using the other hand they can manipulate the infinitely rotating inventory wheel, reaching in and pulling out items they wish to use.

To keep track of the winding and complex narrative of Shattered, players can consult the codex. This system tracks all of the collectibles, notes and evidence Jessica finds on her journey. To support this, I also designed in game prompts for discovering and viewing items, as well as for general tutorials and onboarding. These world space panels could be grabbed and moved out of the way as required for solving puzzles and accommodating various play space sizes.