So we had a 3D environment in the game's menu early on. We thought that your character would work from inside a bank vault, and that the player would start the game by opening this massive door. I drew my inspiration mostly from old bank vaults, but also from bunker doors in certain games (that cogwheel shape). At first we considered limiting the 3D environment and keep the camera and character/menu outside the vault, but later decided to go inside the vault to create a more interactive menu. My favourite menu at the time was probably the one created for Colin McRae Dirt 2, and I wanted to go down the path of having a strong connection between the menu and the main game.