Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun GDD

UI/HUD

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Status: Released
Year: 2016
Genre: Indie, Strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Shadow Tactics uses a tactical, information-dense HUD that keeps the live stealth puzzle readable: top controls expose Menu, Quicksave, Quickload, and a Last Save timer; the bottom HUD shows party portraits, the selected character, ability slots and hotkeys, Shadow Mode controls, stance/action shortcuts, camera controls, and a minimap. In-world overlays communicate the most important decisions directly on the map, including enemy viewcones, detection state, noise/targeting radii, objective markers, interactable highlights, tutorial scrolls, and mission/badge feedback.

9 min read

Design Role

The UI/HUD must make a real-time stealth puzzle readable without pulling the player out of the isometric tactical view. Most critical information is presented either as persistent HUD controls around the screen edge or as diegetic/spatial overlays directly on the map: vision cones, noise radii, interactable highlights, detection icons, objective markers, and queued Shadow Mode commands.

The interface supports four player questions at all times:

What can my selected character do? Character portrait, selected party slot, ability bar, hotkeys, resource/cooldown states, and disabled slots answer this.
What is dangerous right now? Enemy viewcones, suspicion/alert icons, body visibility, noise radii, and enemy type feedback answer this.
What is my plan and retry safety? Shadow Mode indicators plus Quicksave/Quickload and the Last Save timer support experimentation.
Where am I going and how am I performing? Objective text/markers, minimap, journal, mission timer, badge states, and post-mission results support mission and replay goals.

Primary HUD Layout

Area	Element	Observed / Documented Behavior	Gameplay Decision Supported	Evidence Status
Top-left / top bar	Menu button with `ESC`	Persistent menu access appears during gameplay	Pause, settings, reload/restart, journal access where supported	Observed in gameplay frames
Top bar	Quicksave `F5`	Dedicated quicksave control is visible during gameplay	Save after a successful tactical step	Observed; mechanic documented
Top bar	Quickload `F8`	Dedicated quickload control is visible during gameplay	Retry failed or unsafe execution immediately	Observed; mechanic documented
Top-center	`Last Save` timer	Shows elapsed time since the last save; examples show green and red timer states	Reminds the player to save or warns the player they may be relying on an old save	Observed; color thresholds unknown
Bottom-left	Party roster portraits	Shows available squad members; inactive/empty slots are visually disabled; selected character is highlighted	Character switching and squad availability	Observed; exact all-state visuals need more capture
Bottom-left	Selected character portrait/name	Large portrait and name identify the active specialist, e.g. Hayato or Mugen	Confirms whose abilities and movement profile are currently active	Observed
Bottom-center	Command / ability bar	Ability icons update by selected character; documented core abilities map to `A/S/D/F`; disabled slots show inactive states	Choose available actions and read unavailable/cooldown/resource states	Observed; mechanics documented
Bottom-center / left edge	Shadow Mode entry indicator	`LSHIFT` appears with a blue Shadow Mode icon in observed frames	Enter planning layer for synchronized actions	Observed; mechanic documented
Bottom-center	Stance/action shortcuts	Frames show inputs such as `LCTRL`, `SPACE`, and additional ability/action bindings near the active character command area	Toggle crouch/stance, confirm contextual actions, and access active abilities	Observed; exact binding meanings require control-map verification
Bottom-right	Minimap	Circular map shows level geometry, player position, nearby entities/markers, and camera orientation	Navigation, patrol-space awareness, objective routing	Observed; exact icon legend not fully documented
Bottom-right	Camera controls	On-screen buttons/keys around the minimap show camera rotation/pan controls (`Q/W/E` visible in frames)	Rotate or adjust isometric view to inspect sightlines and occluded routes	Observed; exact mapping should be verified in controls menu

In-World Tactical Overlays

Overlay	Visual / Textual Form	Player-Facing Meaning	Important Rules / Edge Cases
Enemy viewcone	Cone projected into the world; tutorial text states enemies have a green field of view	Shows where standing/running/crouching characters risk being seen	Detection color changes are documented as green/yellow/red; exact geometry and timers are unknown
Bright vs darker cone region	Tutorial text for Sake Bottle notes enemies can spot the bottle in the bright area of their field of view	Communicates that cone subregions matter, not just inside/outside	Crouching or small objects may be safe/unsafe depending on cone brightness and proximity
Suspicion icon	Question mark above enemy	Enemy is investigating or has partially noticed something	Player can still break line of sight, hide, or redirect before full alert
Alert/detected icon	Exclamation / alert state above enemy	Confirmed detection or combat escalation	Can trigger alarm response, reinforcements, search behavior, or mission failure if caught
Noise radius	Blue circular radius during targeting or noisy actions	Shows which enemies can hear the action	Used for movement, abilities, firearms, traps, and environmental sounds where supported; exact radii are tuning data
Ability targeting indicator	Range, line, cone, arc, or area preview depending on action	Shows valid target position, ability reach, and possible risk zone	Invalid target, line-of-sight block, cooldown, no charges, or resistant enemy should prevent/flag execution
Interactable highlight	Highlighted object, door, corpse, body, ladder, hook, bush, well, or environmental prop	Indicates a valid command target	Heavy/agile character restrictions must be reflected before committing movement
Objective marker / map marker	Marker in world and/or minimap	Directs player toward current mission goal, extraction, target, or required object	Objective state should update immediately after completion or failure
Shadow Mode queued action	Queued command indicator tied to a character/action	Shows what will execute when the player triggers synchronized actions	If target moves, line of sight breaks, or character enters a blocking state, execution should fail clearly for that action

Tutorial, Prompt, And Journal UI

Tutorial scrolls and instructional popups teach core rules in-context while dimming or framing the live scene behind them. Captured examples include:

Tutorial / Prompt	Content Role	Example Evidence
Enemy Viewcone	Explains that enemies have fields of view represented by green viewcones	Gameplay frame shows an `Enemy Viewcone` tutorial with explanatory text
Sake Bottle	Explains that enemies can spot the bottle in the bright area of their field of view	Gameplay frame shows a `Sake Bottle` tutorial with a visibility example
Character / ability tutorials	Introduce new abilities and controls as they unlock	Character Ability System documents tutorial scrolls for abilities
Shadow Mode tutorial	Explains planning and synchronized execution	Shadow Mode mechanic documents in-mission tutorial introduction
Mission journal / log	Holds objectives, readable tutorials, badge list after reveal, and achievement tracking where supported	Badge mechanics and achievement guide reference in-game journal/log usage

Tutorial UI should be readable, pause or de-emphasize the background as needed, and include clear navigation such as Previous / Next where multi-page help is used. Whether the live simulation pauses during each tutorial screen should be verified per tutorial type.

Mission, Badge, And Replay UI

UI Feature	Behavior	Design Purpose	Evidence Status
Current objectives	Shows active mission tasks and updates as objectives are completed	Keeps large, multi-stage missions legible	Observed in source summaries; exact placement varies / needs capture
Mission journal/log	Displays objective details, tutorials, badges, and achievement information	Lets players check goals without relying on memory	Mechanics and guides support this; exact layout not fully captured
Badge list	Each mission has nine badges; first-playthrough conditions are hidden, then revealed on replay	Encourages mastery and replay routing	Documented by Mission Badge System
Badge state colors	Grey/still achievable, red/failed, earned/persistent	Gives immediate feedback when a constraint is broken	Documented by Mission Badge System
Mission timer	Used for speedrun badges and result evaluation	Supports time-limit mastery challenges	Documented; exact in-mission placement needs confirmation
Results screen	Reports mission completion stats and badge outcomes	Closes the mission loop and motivates replay	Supported by existing GDD/mechanics; exact UI layout needs capture

Save/Reload Feedback

The save UI is unusually central because quicksave/quickload is part of the intended tactical loop.

flowchart LR
    Plan[Plan or complete a safe step] --> Save[Quicksave F5]
    Save --> Timer[Last Save timer resets]
    Timer --> Experiment[Attempt risky movement / ability / Shadow Mode plan]
    Experiment --> Success{Successful?}
    Success -- Yes --> Save
    Success -- No --> Load[Quickload F8]
    Load --> Snapshot[Restore saved positions, patrols, alerts, cooldowns]
    Snapshot --> Experiment

Required feedback:

State	UI Feedback
Quicksave available	`Quicksave F5` visible and active
Quickload available	`Quickload F8` visible and active
Recently saved	`Last Save` timer near zero; observed green state
Save is getting old	Timer continues increasing; observed red state at longer elapsed time, but exact threshold is unknown
Saving in progress	Source summary notes a bottom-screen `Saving` progress bar during autosave/save feedback
No-save badge attempt	Badge should fail or turn red immediately if quicksave invalidates the condition

The UI should avoid hiding save state behind menus because players are expected to save frequently, but it should also warn indirectly through the timer that saving after unresolved danger can preserve a bad state.

Ability Bar And Character State Feedback

State	Expected UI Treatment
Character selected	Portrait/name highlighted; ability bar changes to that character’s loadout
Ability available	Icon lit with hotkey label visible
Ability unavailable because locked/not present	Slot disabled or empty
Ability on cooldown	Icon disabled with countdown or cooldown overlay; exact visual needs capture
Limited ammo/charges	Count visible near the ability or weapon icon where supported
Reusable item not retrieved	Ability remains unavailable until item is recovered
Invalid target	Cursor/indicator should reject the command before execution or fail with clear feedback
Resistant enemy	UI should not imply a clean kill if enemy type resists the selected tool, e.g. Samurai vs disguise/pistol interactions
Character in blocking state	Shadow Mode queueing and ability use should be disabled or visibly rejected while climbing, swimming, carrying a body, incapacitated, or mid-animation

Detection And Alarm Feedback States

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Safe
    Safe --> Suspicion: Enemy sees/hears clue
    Suspicion --> Safe: Line of sight broken / investigation ends
    Suspicion --> Alert: Detection completes
    Alert --> Alarm: Guard confirms threat or body discovery escalates
    Alert --> Failure: Character caught in melee reach
    Alarm --> Reloaded: Player quickloads/restarts
    Reloaded --> Safe

State	UI Feedback	Player Decision
Safe	Green viewcones, no alert icons	Move, plan, or set up actions
Suspicion	Yellow detection buildup / question mark	Hide, crouch, break line of sight, distract, or cancel action
Alert	Red detection / exclamation	Escape, interrupt, or reload before failure/escalation
Alarm	Reinforcement/search state, hostile behavior, possible objective pressure	Continue under pressure or quickload; alarm consequences persist until reload/completion
Mission failure	Failure/reload screen	Quickload, restart, or change plan