Manual Samuel

2016 © Perfectly Paranormal and Curve Digital
Microsoft Windows, Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Manual Samuel is an adventure game where the player manually controls every aspect of the character. Curve Digital partnered with Perfectly Paranormal to support console ports, UI creation, and publishing. When Curve joined the project, the game had limited HUD elements but no front end UI, which I designed alongside console specific requirements.

The game followed a largely linear narrative, so UI support focused on the core game loop and a small number of bespoke features. I developed front end UI concepts that complemented the game’s distinctive googie inspired art style and existing HUD, collaborating with the developers to align on direction and incorporating thematic elements such as graffiti to reflect the punk inspired characters of Death and Satan.

Main Menu

I created simple menu layouts that leaned into the art style to feel more integrated into the world than just floating text and boxy buttons, ultimately landing on the theming of art gallery walls that fit the narrative and environmental details of Samuel's luxurious house which already had some suggestions of framed art on the walls.

Game Controls

The player is required to control every function and movement of the character, in co-op mode these functions were split between both players which were demarcated with red and blue for player 1 and player 2 with some level of customisation to delegate actions.