Games are getting bigger and bigger, and as such, more and more game developers are opting to use cursor menus in console games. This trend was started by one game, Destiny. It was okay for a while, but now it feels like almost every big release is adopting the cursor menus.
Players around the globe have started to revolt against this, as it shows that more and more devs aren’t putting in the time to make actually competent menus. One series that has adopted the Destiny style menus is Assassin’s Creed. And it seems that even with the newest title, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Ubisoft is continuing the trend of cursor menus in console games.
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Why Are Cursor Menus in Console Games so Disliked?
On PCs, it’s pretty easy to navigate a menu. You can move your mouse pretty quickly to get to what you need to. Cursor menus aren’t a problem on PC, since you’re always using the cursor for navigation across your desktop anyway. But on consoles, even if you pull the analogue stick to the maximum, it will always move at a constant speed. A pretty slow constant speed at that.
This makes navigating the User Interface on consoles a complete drag. Not only do the menus not look aesthetically pleasing, but having to drag your cursor from point A to point B every time you want to select something is just so time consuming and not particularly fun.
Destiny began the trend in 2014 and continued it with its sequel, Destiny 2, in 2017. Since then, so many developers have tried to replicate it, but none have prevailed as well as Bungie.
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Why Are More and More Developers Opting for Cursor Menus in Console Games?
So a lot of people have voiced their problems with the Destiny style menu, which begs the question: why are they still so prominent in gaming? The answer is pretty plain and simple: it’s easier. Why go through the trouble of making an actually competent menu when you can spare all that time and manpower for something else?
It seems as though not much work has gone into menus as of late. Developers just put everything you need into one poorly designed interface rather than taking the time to think about how players even interact with the menus in the first place. There are just so many things on these menus at once that it’s somewhat intimidating to even look at them.
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Assassin’s Creed has Adopted, and Continues to Adopt, Cursor Menus in Console Games
Assassin’s Creed is memed on constantly for how the series lost its identity and how it follows whatever gaming trend is hot. The most recent releases, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, were all incredibly divisive. The games opted for a more RPG approach, where you build your character in whatever way suits you. But with time, it seemed that the series wasn’t even about assassins anymore. Assassin’s Creed Mirage promises to go back to the roots of the series, and from what we’ve seen so far, it looks pretty great.
But it still isn’t exempt from criticism, as Mirage, similar to Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, also uses a cursor to navigate its menus. To many, this is incredibly annoying, as the games before the more RPG-like titles had very simple menus. They didn’t need all that clutter to get their point across. Twitter user @AccessTheAnimus showed the inventory menu of Assassin’s Creed Mirage in a Tweet, and it seems very similar to that of Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla. This has greatly disappointed the OG fans of the series, who wished for a more straightforward approach.
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Are Cursor Menus in Console Games Here to Stay?
It seems that most RPG titles are beginning to incorporate cursor menus in console games. It seems to many that it is slowly starting to become the norm in these types of games. But in my and many others’ opinion, game devs should place greater emphasis on menus and make them as easily accessible as possible. Players interact with it very frequently, and a good UI goes a long way towards making a game’s systems more fun to interact with.
But what do you think? Do you like Cursor Menus in Console Games or do you feel indifferent towards them? Let us know in the comments!
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