Interface Layout
In this menu (Screenshot 1), you can see the different crafting options for the player. On the left-hand side there is a column with a few different options for the player to craft, such as melee weapons, health kits and traps/smoke grenades. Next to that column you can clearly see the main section of the crafting menu, it shows a symbol of the weapon, and gives a brief description of what the upgrade will do. It shows a list of materials the player can use in crafting, when the current item is highlighted, the list of materials will be highlighted white with a grey, slightly transparent background to signify that those are the materials that will be used to craft the upgrade. Otherwise it will stay grey and slightly transparent. There is also on the top right 2 options, the wrench is for the crafting menu and the piece of paper symbolizes the comics, letters and documents that can be selected.
(Screenshot 1)
In (Screenshot 2), you can see the gun selection menu, in the center there is a column that the player can cycle through the different options, this is the melee section of the weapon selection, this is currently grey out to the player. On the right side there is the short-ranged weapons the player can cycle through as well, when the player is highlighting the weapon it turns white, otherwise it will be a light grey, on the opposite side there is the long-range weapons the player can choose from. The bottom right hand side of the screen the players health can be seen as well as the players weapon they are currently holding, there is also a small bar under the weapon to show the strength of the melee weapons, and how many more times it can be used. It also shows how much ammo is currently in the gun.
(Screenshot 2)
(Screenshot 3) shows the upgrade menu for the characters weapons. The top right of the screen the players crafting level is visible as well as how many parts the player has to spend on each upgrade. Under this all weapons that are currently unlocked can be seen, if a weapon is unlocked it is shown, greyed out- unless it is selected. If a weapon is not unlocked there will be a grey padlock in its place. On the bottom right of the screen, the player can see what level they need to have before making that upgrade, and how many parts it will cost them to upgrade it. Above this there is a small description of the upgrade and what current level the gun is at. On the left-hand side of this there is a picture of the weapon selected and the name. It can also be seen what level/current upgrades are on the gun. There are small boxes to signal to the player how many upgrades can be made on each section, if one has been made then the box will be white, otherwise it will stay grey and transparent.
(Screenshot 3)
In (Screenshot 4), you can see the skill upgrade menu. On the top section of the skill menu you can see the craft menu, skill menu and documents option. Under this you can see how many skill points the player has, symbolized by a pill and the number of points next to it. The main section of the skill menu, it is designed similarly to the upgrade menu, with there being multiple options for the player to scroll through and upgrade, with every option it tells the player how many points they require to make the next upgrade, if the upgrade is available the text in the box will be made white, otherwise it will be red to show the player they need more to upgrade that option. At the very bottom under all the option, it will give a brief description of what the upgrade will do for the player.
(Screenshot 4)
(Screenshot 5) depicts the collectibles menu, this menu shows everything the player has collected throughout the game so far. The left side of the box are what the player can collect, artifacts, firefly pendants, training audio tapes and comic books for Ellie. On the right hand side it shows what the player has collected so far, if the player has read or looked at the collectible it will turn grey to show that they have seen it, otherwise the text will stay white to signify that they have not read it.
(Screenshot 5)
Images in Order- Top to Bottom 1-5
Colours
The colours in this game are very dark, muddy, with some military colours. The dark colours are used in this game to set the mood of the terror, depressing, difficult and exhausting life of being in the apocalypse. The colours set the mood of the game perfectly showing the player how things and people are no longer full of life but are instead fighting to survive (Screenshot 1). However, there are some moments where there are brighter colours (Screenshot 2), these were used to set the mood of how although things are grim there can still be some hope, in (Screenshot 2) the bright colours were shown to create an opportunity for the main characters Joel and Ellie to have a moment of peace and bonding before the next events where they will split up so the cure can be made, the colours used in this moment show that there is still a chance to start over again.
Typography
The font used for this game looks worn out, however not all the font is worn, some of it is still intact. (Screenshot 1), the font used for the title, is bold and simple. This allows the player to read it clearly and easily. The letters of the title have been weathered and worn away, however there is still some letters that are intact. This helps create the idea of the game, the world has slowly been weathered away and battered, but there is still hope for humanity and their lives. (Screenshot 2), the font in game is more military document like, this is used throughout the game. This can be seen on multiple occasions, this helps set the idea of the control the military has- now no longer has, over the remaining members of society, as each upgrade, collectible etc are in a military font like style.
Design Elements - Diegetic/Non-diegetic/ Spatial/Meta
In this game there are some non-diegetic features of the game to help the player traverse the zombie filled world. For example, when the player can home in Joel’s hearing the see where the zombies are and your allies (Screenshot 1). The screen will turn black, white and grey, with the enemies being highlighted with white around them, there figure will be black with the white sound effect around the zombie. Whereas, the allies with only highlighted and have a small diamond shape above their head to differentiate them from the zombies. This is non-diegetic because it helps the player figure out a strategy of how to deal with the zombies and not alert them to get to the next stage. A diegetic feature of this game is the comic books that the player can collect throughout the game (Screenshot 2). This is diegetic because both the player and character can see it, both can interact with it, with each time a comic book is collected Joel will state to Ellie he has located another comic book for her.
(Screenshot 1)
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