This design was made with fantasy-oriented games in mind, particularly RPGs where characters may have dozens of abilities to choose from. I was attracted to the idea of cycling through a power wheel, in lieu of pulling up a radial wheel as is the case with many games, or scrolling through a written-list. Using symbols for the abilities is visually more effective.

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I originally made a more sleek design, but the symbols for the abilities have to be large for readability. I took a queue from games like The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition for the magic meter. It’s genre-standard to include cool-downs and meter on abilities, and I wanted to try a different look, hence the “pulse” aesthetic. The ability to scroll through character skills in real time was more attractive to me than pausing the game to pull up the skills in a radial menu. It’s ultimately very colorful, though I’m seeing a trend in newer games for a more monotone, minimalist interface.