I’ve developed a Kung-Fu / Samurai / Ninja game for iOS, and I’m now looking for a new user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. The game is designed to run on both iPhone and iPad. At some point, it may also support Apple TV. On Mac, it runs due to the iPad version.
The name of the game is:
English: Legacy of the Samurai
German: Das Vermächtnis der Samurai
These titles have been officially registered with Apple and belong to me within the Apple ecosystem. Regardless of what is written elsewhere in the documentation, this is the official title of the game.
Here’s the English summary of your expectations:
What I Expect:
Basically, it all sounds more complicated than it is. In the end, it’s just a few views and some graphics and icons.
- The flow of the game, the provided images and videos must be considered 🙂
- Please deliver the final results and all related images; I will handle resizing and further adjustments myself.
- I will provide some images and graphics (PLEASE HANDLE CONFIDENTIALLY).
- The color palette must remain unchanged, as it reflects the visual identity of the game.
- The game will be available in two languages (so text length must be considered).
- All buttons, dialogs, and icons should match the game’s visual theme.
- No AI-generated icons, please.
- Temple-style background images are required.
- Standard buttons in multiple sizes, optionally with a press effect (Note: I will overlay text—so no push effect that affects the text).
- Icon-based buttons, e.g., for Homepage, Settings, etc.
- A title with a logo (consider both German and English versions).
- A visually appealing Settings screen.
- Toggle buttons for settings.
- Country flags for language selection.
- Standard dialogs in various widths and heights (with a background image).
- A visually appealing leaderboard (high score view).
- A visually appealing In-App Purchase screen.
- Mission overview UI.
- Level selection UI.
- Dialogs for “Level Unlocked” and “Mission Unlocked” (text and buttons will be added by me).
- A “Please Wait” screen.
- In-game HUD (3 icons and 5 icons) – including heart symbols with varying fill levels (health).
- In-game radar background.
- A visually appealing pause screen.
- In-game buttons.
- A mission briefing dialog for the Challenge Mode.
- A visually appealing “Win” and “Lose” screen.
- A visually appealing “Defeat with Score” screen (Challenge Mode).
- A final screen for “Game Completed” (when the last level is reached – not yet shown in the documentation).
Examples
Files
Here are some files I can provide.
Game Overview
„Legacy of the Samurai“ is a fast-paced run-and-jump action game that combines platforming with clever puzzles and strategic combat. Players must outsmart enemies, solve environmental challenges, and ultimately unlock the ancient Samurai treasure chamber.
The game takes place in a temple scenario. Before reaching it, the player must make their way through a jungle. The ultimate goal is to find the treasure chamber of the ancient Samurai warriors
The current level design and game title are not final and may be subject to change.
UX Brief: Game Interface Redesign & Optimization
The current UX design of the game is intentionally simple and functional for now. It serves as a foundation but is not final and can be improved or reimagined.
Areas for Improvement:
- Main Menu, Mission Selection, and Level SelectionThe current layout is based on a temple landscape. This can be redesigned or visually enhanced — for example, with animations, alternate perspectives, or more interactive elements.
- In-App Menu & SettingsThe settings UI differs between the main menu and in-game. A more unified and visually refined approach would be ideal.
- Objective Display in Competition ModeCurrently shown using a basic dialog. A custom, more polished presentation — ideally scalable based on text length — would improve both flexibility and user experience.
- Dialogs (Win / Lose / Game Completed)The existing dialogs are generic default components. Custom-styled win and defeat dialogs (with appropriate animations, visual flair, and score display in Competition Mode) would enhance the polish.In Normal Mode, the final “Game Completed” message should also be presented in a more distinctive way — not as a standard dialog.
- Reusable Standard Dialogs (Flexible Layout)In certain cases, it would still be useful to have modular, resizable standard dialogs with buttons in multiple sizes, for fallback or less critical use cases.
Visual Theme:
- Environment: The temple landscape should remain central to the overall aesthetic.
- Colors: The current color palette is considered the default theme and should mostly remain — though refinement (e.g. shadows, gradients, hierarchy) is welcome.
Game Structure
- The game currently includes 3 missions, each with 12 levels of increasing difficulty.
- Throughout the journey, players will face a variety of enemies, including:
- Unique Samurai warriors with different combat styles
- Wild animals such as big cats, eagles, and octopuses
- Soldiers and guardians that require careful timing and tactics
Game Modes
- Adventure Mode: The core campaign that introduces the story and gameplay mechanics
- Challenge Mode: Once players have mastered the main missions, they can unlock this competitive mode focused on scoring.
- Points are tracked and saved via Apple Game Center
- Players can compete with others and climb the global leaderboards
Language Support
The game is currently available in English and German.
🕹 Game Overview
The game features two main modes:
- Normal Mode – The player progresses through a series of levels.
- Challenge Mode – The player always starts at Level 1 and plays through to the final level in one go. If they fail, they start over. Points are collected and submitted to Apple’s Game Center.
The player must complete specific tasks and finish each level. The game combines puzzle-solving, run & jump mechanics, strategy, and simple combat. There are various enemies including samurai warriors, wildcats, birds, soldiers, and guards. Players may fight these enemies using martial arts. The game is also suitable for children, as there is no blood or visible violence.
🧩 Workflow
This diagram shows the overall structure of the game. It starts on the right (Main Menu) and ends on the left (Game Win/Defeat).
🧱 Game Structure & Screens
🏠 Main Screen (developer buttons are shown in the bottom left – please ignore them)
This is the main screen of the game. Here, players can start the game in two different modes, access the settings, view the leaderboard, or unlock the full version via an in-app purchase.
It’s important that this screen features a beautiful temple-style background landscape. There should be a logo with the game title, and buttons in various sizes (without embedded text), as well as special buttons that include small icons.
Currently, I program the buttons myself and don’t use any graphics. It would be great to have buttons with background images. Right now, the buttons are pressable with a “pressed-in” effect, which I implement in code. A nice improvement would be to add a visual effect to the buttons—such as a background change when pressed—so I can simply swap the background image without having to manually program the pressed state.
The dimensions should remain approximately the same.
iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro)
iPad (iPad Pro 12.9 Zoll 6. Generation)
- Background image –> Temple landscape
- Image / Logo with Text (The title does not exist yet)
- English: Legacy of the Samurai
- German: Das Vermächtnis der Samurai
- Left:
- Button: App Store –> Goto Apple AppStore
- Button: Rating –> Goto Apple AppRanking
- Button: Homepage –> Goto Homepage „https://atomiumgames.com“ or { Own game homepage }
- Middle:
- Button Play (Normal Mode) –> Goto Mission View
- Button Challenge Mode –> Goto Game
- Right:
- Button Settings –> Goto Popup settings
- Button: Leaderboard (Apple Game Center) –> Goto Leaderboard View
- Button: In-App Shop –> Goto In-App-View
It would be great to have standard popup dialogs in various sizes to accommodate text with 2, 4, 6, or 8 lines. This way, I could insert both text and optionally a graphic. The graphic would serve as the background of the popup dialog and be placed on the screen (similar to the Setting or Setting Reset screens).
Because of this, there should also be buttons in different sizes (without embedded text), so I can add the labels myself. Currently, I create these buttons and popups entirely in code without graphics—so it would be much nicer to use a background image. The buttons should have a pressed effect when tapped.
Some buttons currently use default Apple system icons. Custom graphics that match the intended function and communicate clearly would be a big improvement. Examples include: Homepage, In-App, Leaderboard, Settings, Back, Next, etc. You can see these buttons on the provided screenshots.
These dialogs (on the left side) are standard dialogs and are shown here for completeness. They do not need to be changed.
⚙️ Settings (gear)
In this dialog, players can adjust certain settings or reset the game. If the player chooses to reset the game, a confirmation popup is shown to ask whether they really want to proceed. Regardless of what they tap, the app always returns to the settings view. Only when tapping “Accept” is the popup closed. Currently, the language can be toggled between English and German.
- Settings
- Music, Sound Effects, Visual Effects, Vibration, Language (German & English)
- Here I need two graphics: toggle on and toggle off.
- Reset Button
- Confirmation Dialog: “Do you want to reset the game?”
- Apply Button
- Music, Sound Effects, Visual Effects, Vibration, Language (German & English)
Menu > Settings
Menu > Settings > Reset > Confirmation Dialog
🏅 Leaderboard
This screen displays a list where each row shows a rank, a name, and the number of points earned in the game (Challenge Mode). Points are only counted in this mode. I need a nicely designed row layout where I can insert these three values.
- Leaderboard
- Back Button — Goto Menu
- Error View („No Connection“) –> Popup with Error
💰 InApp-Shop
The game is offered for free, and players can play the first 5 levels without any cost. After that, a one-time in-app purchase is required to unlock the full game. Once purchased, Mission 1 becomes available. Mission 2 is unlocked after completing Mission 1, and so on. Currently, there are 3 missions, each with 12 levels, but more missions may be added in the future—so the GUI should be designed to be expandable.
- In-App Shop
- Button Unlock (Price Button)
- Button Restore Purchases
- Back Button –> Goto Menu
- Error View („No Connection“)
📜 Mission Selection (Currently 1–3)
There are currently three missions in the game. At the beginning, only Mission 1 is unlocked — the others are locked and marked with a padlock icon. Once the player successfully completes Mission 1, Mission 2 becomes available. After completing Mission 2, Mission 3is unlocked.
When the player finishes the final level of Mission 3, a dialog appears at the end of the game saying: “You’ve completed the entire game!”
There are also stars (maximum of 3) representing the player’s progress — indicating how many levels have been successfully completed per mission.
- Additional subdialog
- Dialog: “A new level has been unlocked”
- Dialog: “A new mission has been unlocked”
- Back Button –> Goto Menu
📦 Level Selection (Currently 1–12)
At the start, the first 5 levels must be completed in sequence. After that, the player must make an in-app purchase to unlock the rest. Locked levels are visually marked with a padlock.
All levels within a mission must be completed to unlock the next mission. Stars (up to 3 per level) also indicate the quality of the player’s performance.
- Each level shows 3 stars as a performance rating (3 stars = high score)
- Back Button
⏳ Loading Screen
This image is shown when the game is launched on the iPhone and when the gameplay begins. Currently, I use my background image, adjust its colors, and overlay text on top of it. Maybe this could be changed by using a graphic or a different background instead.
- Message: “Please wait…”
🎯 In-Game Screen
The game features a HUD with 3 or 4 icons, depending on the game mode. It includes a radar (which I currently draw myself) and two joysticks that are also custom-drawn. On the right side, there’s a “Pause” button that allows the player to quit, change settings, or continue playing.
The HUD should consist of icons and a background for the numbers. The maximum number length is 3 digits (decimal), except for the score in Challenge Mode, which can be 5 or 6 digits. The icons should match the game’s theme.
During gameplay, popups appear when the player wins or loses. In Challenge Mode, a dialog shows the final score at the end. These dialogs should be custom-designed—they can even cover the full screen while the game dims in the background, but they should still appear as dialogs.
- HUD (Heads-Up Display), radar, and action buttons
- Pause / Settings menu (Gear)
- Lose Screen (with options to quit or retry)
- Win Screen (with options to quit or continue)
- Game Completion Screen (Game over, all levels completed)
- In Challenge Mode, a mission dialog appears at the start of each level describing the goal.
a) Normal Game Mode
- A joystick appears on the left.
- Action buttons (from the joystick) are on the right.
- There is a settings button and a radar.
- Developer buttons appear in the bottom-left corner — these can be ignored.
The HUD (Heads-Up Display) shows:
- Number of lives
- Number of weapons
- Number of coins
- A heart icon that represents the player’s health (100% to 0%). At 0%, the player dies. This shows the player how much health they have left.
b) Competition Mode (Challenge Mode)
In this mode, the player always starts with Mission 1 / Level 1 and progresses as far as possible until all lives are lost. Before each mission begins, the player is shown a list of objectives, which must be confirmed before the game starts.
Basically, only the HUD display changes here — along with two additional icons, and a different win and lose dialog.
In this game mode, the player earns points. If they fail, the points are displayed in red. When they complete tasks, the points are shown in green.
This mode includes additional HUD indicators:
- Number of enemies to defeat
- Score points collected
There is also a pause/settings dialog during gameplay.
The player can either abort the game or apply changes.
Game Result Dialogs
After each round, Win or Lose dialogs are shown. These can be designed as separate UI screens. I display the dialog and have stripes rotating in the background as a visual effect.
Normal-Mode & Competition Mode
Normal-Mode
At the end of a competition run, a summary dialog is displayed showing the final score — important for Game Center leaderboards. This screen can be designed separately as well.
🗨 Dialogs & Layout Requirements
Some dialogs (e.g. “Do you want to reset the game?”) should be available in multiple sizes, so I can choose the one that fits best.
There is no need to design separate full screens for every dialog or info box.
🎬 Videos
Here are a few more videos to showcase the game, the dialogs, and the gameplay.
Complete (Youtube)
Menu
Menu > Mission > Level > Game > Win / Defeat > Unlocking levels
Menu > Mission > Level > Game > End
Game (Normal Mode)
Game > Settings
Game (Competition Mode)
Existing game graphics
I’m currently using the following graphics for the game. They are from the website https://www.gamedeveloperstudio.com, and I’m using these assets as building blocks to design the game.
Main graphic
https://www.gamedeveloperstudio.com/graphics/viewgraphic.php?item=1b6y0i7k5k2n0c481w
Secondary graphic – in some cases, the colors were adjusted to better match the main graphic
https://www.gamedeveloperstudio.com/graphics/viewgraphic.php?item=1w5f5g91282g915625
https://www.gamedeveloperstudio.com/graphics/viewgraphic.php?item=165h5u5m6r8p676a29
My Preferred Format
I would like to receive modular vector graphics (as a UI toolkit), so I can assemble the UI myself. For example, you can deliver button shapes and I will add the labels and position them inside
The game uses exclusively PNG files (no vector graphics). I will generate the final PNG assets from the original vector graphics, optimized for each resolution and device (iPhone, iPad, etc.).
Preferred formats:
- SVG or AI
- I’m working on a Mac and use Affinity Designer (similar to Photoshop).
🎨 Source Graphics
All game graphics are from Game Developer Studio, and I can provide access to the asset packs if needed. Let me know if you need wireframes or screen resolutions. Looking forward to your creative input!