Game UI/UX

THE LONG DARK

I led the UI design for The Long Dark, developing a restrained visual system for survival, inventory, interaction, and navigation that supported the game’s immersive, painterly world.

Role
Lead UI Artist
Studio
Hinterland Studio
Platforms
PC, Console
Year
2017
The Long Dark radial menu

Immersive Survival UI

The interface was designed to stay out of the way of exploration wherever possible. Critical information was presented through restrained overlays, contextual menus, and environmental feedback rather than a constantly visible HUD.

The Long Dark minimal in-game interface
The Long Dark radial menu in dramatic lighting
The Long Dark contextual radial interface
The Long Dark challenge menu
The Long Dark challenge selection screen
The Long Dark controls screen
The Long Dark challenge selection interface

Survival Systems

Inventory, condition, clothing, crafting, and journal screens needed to communicate dense survival information without losing the quiet visual character of the game. Typography, iconography, and hierarchy were kept deliberately simple and consistent.

The Long Dark survival status interface
The Long Dark condition interface
The Long Dark clothing interface
The Long Dark character inventory
The Long Dark clothing management screen
The Long Dark backpack inventory
The Long Dark crafting interface
The Long Dark journal interface
The Long Dark information and survival systems interface

Maps & Navigation

Navigation screens extended the same hand-crafted visual language into maps and regional information, providing useful orientation without feeling disconnected from the world.

The Long Dark regional map interface
The Long Dark Mystery Lake map

Contextual Interaction

Many interactions were designed to appear only when they were needed. Inspection, object interaction, containers, and other contextual systems kept information close to the player’s immediate action rather than adding permanent screen clutter.

The Long Dark item inspection interface
The Long Dark contextual station interface
The Long Dark object inspection screen
The Long Dark contextual item interface
The Long Dark lock interaction
The Long Dark item interaction interface

Iconography & Progression

The visual system extended into badges, status icons, and trophies, using simple graphic forms that remained readable at small sizes and consistent with the game’s hand-made aesthetic.

The Long Dark badges
The Long Dark interface icons
The Long Dark trophies