CHROMATICA
Overview
CHROMATICA is a first-person puzzle game where the player must complete different chambers using colors. By learning the properties of each color, the player must make its way through the different rooms by collecting colors and painting elements until managing to escape this world.
I solely developed the project in Unity, handling the complete design and implementation of core mechanics, systems, and levels.
This project was part of my Bachelor's final project, where I explored methods for implicit tutorization of game elements and addressed common colorblindness types in video games.
Project details
- Developer: Kai Xian Lan Ji
- My role: Game designer, programmer, artist
- Genre: Puzzle, first-person, minimalist
- Platform: PC
- Dev duration: Dec 2024 - June 2025
- Engine: Unity
My Contributions
- My first solo-developed game.
- Designed and implemented core mechanics and systems of the game:
- Main character movement, camera and controls.
- Color system: Color picker and color painter mechanics.
- Level & Puzzle design:
- Designed all puzzles and levels for the entire game with a total of 12 chambers.
- - 3 tutorial chambers of each color mechanic.
- - 4 intermediate chambers putting to the test what players learned in the tutorial.
- - 5 advanced chambers combining different colors and mechanics.
- Created a difficulty progression based on the number of required actions and introduction of mechanics.
- Designed and implemented implicit tutorization for onboarding players. This was based on an exhaustive investigation I did in my thesis. This includes:
- Using visual cues to guide players' attention to important elements.
- Progressive introduction of mechanics without explicit tutorials.
- Feedback systems to reinforce learning through interaction.
- Creating a visual language so the player can always know the function of any interactable object of the game.
- Designed and implemented all UI elements such as HUD, menus, settings and credits.
- Developed a minimalist shader for visual consistency.
- Implemented an accessibility system with color-blind filters.
Design Challenges
The challenge
CHROMATICA is a first-person puzzle game inspired by Portal and The Witness. The goal was to create a game that explains itself. No text prompts, no explicit instructions. The only information the player receives is the input for the main mechanic. Everything else must be discovered through interaction.
The challenge was guiding the player invisibly: teaching the rules of the game without anyone stating them, and ensuring the player never felt lost or uninformed.
Our approach
I based the tutorization design on exhaustive research carried out for my Bachelor's thesis, including a Portal scientific paper that analyzes how players learn mechanics without explicit instructions.
This translated into four principles applied across every chamber:
- Consistent visual language so the player can always identify the function of any interactable object. In this case I used color and shape to create a consistent visual language that players could learn and rely on.
- Progressive introduction of mechanics without text or interruptions, letting the player discover the rules through play.
- Feedback systems that reinforce learning through interaction, not explanation. For example, positive audio cues when a player successfully completes a puzzle, or smaller animations with negative audio cues when the player tries to use a mechanic incorrectly.
Result
Players completed chambers without explicit instructions, validating the implicit tutorization system. This data was collected through playtesting sessions and a small survey they filled after each session.
The visual language created consistency across all chambers, reducing confusion when new elements were introduced.
The thesis research provided a solid methodological foundation, giving the design process academic rigor.
The challenge
Designing 12 puzzle chambers with a coherent and balanced difficulty progression is nearly impossible without an objective unit of measurement. Perceived difficulty is subjective, so I found out that I needed a way to quantify it.
Our approach
Drawing from the same Portal scientific paper, I took the minimum number of actions required to complete a chamber as the difficulty unit. This allowed me to design a progressive curve with a clear pattern:
Difficulty rises gradually, but drops sharply without returning to zero each time a new mechanic is introduced, giving the player space to absorb it before the challenge ramps back up.
Chambers were also designed and iterated in smaller groups — 1 tutorial, 1-3 intermediate, and 1 advanced — rather than all 12 at once. This kept the feedback loop tight and made balancing manageable.
Result
The difficulty curve was objectively documented and adjustable, removing subjectivity from the design process.
Controlled drops when introducing new mechanics prevented frustration and maintained the learning pace.
Designing in small groups allowed fast iteration and kept the overall curve balanced throughout development.