Pausing a gameis one of those things gamers do that are automatic. Most if not all players hit the pause button without much thought to get to some in-game menus or their inventories, tweak something in the settings or options, or look for a photo mode to capture their characters doing something epic.
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While most pause menus are there to give players a breather from whatever game they are currently enjoying, some titles utilize this seemingly nondescript screen to further immerse their players into their games. From quirky and funky soundtracks to intuitive interfaces, here aresome of the best pause menus in gaming.
6Shovel Knight: Battletoads Encounter
For most of the game,Shovel Knight’s pause menu is a run-of-the-mill static screen that has the typical interface one would expect a pause menu should have. But in the Xbox and PC versions ofShovel Knight, players can have a boss encounter with TheBattletoads’ Rash, Pimple, and Zitz during their playthrough.
Players have to beat the eponymous toads in various stages that harkens back to iconicBatletoadsstages. This includes the shaft and the infamous jet ski stages, and culminates in a boss room where the player will face all the toads. Throughout these stages, if a player hits the pause button, they will be treated with an 8-bit version of theBattletoadstheme, and it will continue playing so long as the player is in the pause menu.
Adding theBattletoadstheme on the pause menu during this encounter hits all the nostalgia strings of older games who played these titles way back when, and also serves as an introductory point for newer players to get acquainted with such zany characters.
5GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007is considered to be one of thebest first-person shootersand a classic Nintendo 64 title. This licensed game is influential to the birth of the modern first-person shooter genre and has a great single player and even better multiplayer mode.
Its pause menu also deserves to be recognized as one of the best screens in games. The pause menu is James Bond’s watch, and it gives players a quick overview of their weapon and ammo, as well as the status of the current mission, on top of the conventional settings and options menu.
Adding to the immersion of being a secret agent is the accompanying background music when accessing the pause menu: the iconic James Bond theme song plays while the player checks on the status of the mission or adjusting the settings. Thanks in large part to the game’s sound design, evenGoldenEye 007’s pause menu has become memorable.
4Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions - Fight Against Deadpool
One of the villains Spider-Man has to defeat inSpider-Man: Shattered Dimensionsis the Merc with the Mouth, Deadpool. In his level, Deadpool hosts his own reality TV show called, “Pain Factor”: Players have to enter Deadpool’s TV show to retrieve the fragment. This is done by completing Deadpool’s challenges and defeating him.
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When players pause the game during the fight with Deadpool, after a certain time passes by, Deadpool will startbreaking the fourth walland talk to the player. He will quip and make various puns about the word “pause”, and eventually get ticked off and start berating the player for delaying the game.
3Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5andPersona 5 Royalare touted as one of the best modern JRPGs to date, thanks in large part to its striking visual style and sound design on top of the usual over-the-top yet gripping narrative and endearing characters.ThePersonagamesare known for their amazing soundtracks. The soundtrack for this iteration of Atlus’ Persona title went for funky and jazzy tunes that seamlessly blended with the Phantom Thieves’ vibe.
This jazzy influence is evident even in the game’s pause menu. All the screens are immaculately animated and seemingly pop out of the monitor or TV screens: Joker moves around each menu that sports stylish design similar to a comic book or other pop-art. Players might feel overwhelmed at first because the selections are all over the place, but eventually the pause menu screens become easier to navigate, especially since the amazing soundtrack is keeping them company.
2FromSoftware Games
FromSoftware are notorious fortheir difficult titles. FromDemon’s Souls,Dark Souls,Bloodborne,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice,Elden Ring, to theArmored Coregames, players know that they are in for an unforgiving yet immersive ride once they start playing these games.
Once players are inside the games, they immediately get the sense that everything is out to get them: even the pause menu. While other titles’ pause button allows a time-out from all the action, FromSoftware games do not give their players that luxury. Players who hit the pause button are greeted with a menu screen that usually displays their character’s stats, weapons, and armor. But what it doesn’t do is stop the game. Enemies can still attack the player’s character and for some unlucky ones, results in their losing of their farmed souls or runes that they need to level up their character’s stats.
This “pause” screen gives further immersion to FromSoftware’s games since their games won’t hold players’ hands and give them moments of peace. Players have to know which areas are safe for them to look at their character screens and recollect themselves.
1The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild / Tears Of The Kingdom
Apart from breaking the immersion, most games often greet players with a static menu when they press the pause button. While this has been the standard for games, titles likeThe Legend of Zelda Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdommade their pause menu more intuitive.
The screen where the pause menu will show players in both games is the last one they’ve checked. For example, if a player was looking at their armor menu, the next time they would press pause, they would be greeted with the armor menu screen. When opening treasure chests, the pause menu goes to the designated screen for weapons or materials, depending on what loot they get. Opening the pause menu neara lit cooking potimmediately brings up the ingredients screen.
This attention to what players are currently doing in-game make theBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdompause menus a greatly designed interface. It allows players to continue what they are doing or what to do in the pause menu as seamlessly as possible.
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