- Track the most recently chosen category in module scope so it survives scene.start() reusing the same instance.
- Fall back to that value when entering the menu without explicit category data, restoring the user's previous selection instead of defaulting.
- Replace flat title/subtitle pills with brass Plaque headers in OpponentSelectScene for visual consistency with the game menu
- Shift opponent scroll area down (OPP_SCROLL_TOP 155 -> 180, height 440 -> 415) to clear the subtitle plaque band
- Pass selected category back to GameMenu via scene.start data on Back so the active grid is restored instead of resetting to default
- Add GameMenuScene.init() to capture incoming category and reset stale instance props (_currentCategory, _gridAnim) since scene.start reuses the existing instance
- Guard fadeIn target list with .filter(Boolean) to skip any uncreated elements
- Replace flat black rectangles behind the game-menu and landing titles with a new Plaque component that draws a rounded, accent-bordered plate with a soft drop shadow and warm top highlight.
- Add letter-spacing and text shadow to the menu title so it reads as raised against the plate.
- When the tab label swaps (e.g. "Loading…" → "Choose a game"), tween the plaque to its new width via a size proxy that redraws each frame, and pop the title text with a Back.easeOut scale so the change feels intentional.
- Add slide-in/out grid animations when switching categories in the game menu, replacing the instant rebuild
- Rename "Choose a game" to "Choose a Game Category" and update title dynamically on category change
- Fade in menu controls (tabs, hint, back button) on entry to complete the landing handoff
- Animate logo zoom-out and fade buttons out when transitioning from landing to game menu via goToGameMenu()
- Guard against double-taps and stale avatar loads during scene transitions
- Drop the `_lastCategory` module-level state and the logic that pre-selected a tab on scene entry.
- Show a "Select a category above to see its games" hint instead, destroyed once the user picks a category.
Brian Fertig