About
Chromasynth is a social simulation game set in a world where everyday people are compelled to participate in The Program, a pseudo-reality TV game show with high risks and high rewards. The game is has point-and-click gameplay, role-playing elements, and a visual novel branching path narrative.
History
The concept began in 2016 with the creation of several characters, all described to be in similar age to the creator at the time (~17 years old). Sangled had originally conceived the characters as a design/writing exercise in order to develop something original, rather than fan-made, which spanned the majority of her online works. Though they would continue to focus on fanart primarily, these characters evolved over time, garnering a story about their relationship and the world that brought them together.
In 2017, this group would officially be titled the 'Spectrum Squad',
due to their varying color themes in name and design. They were
also given unique, superpower-esque skills, such as shape-shifting,
flying, and the ability to control plant life. These characters, though
newly conceived, would remain as a part of the core cast later when
the main story was developed.
The 2018 version was a similarly gridded collage that featured updated designs. Though the cast would continue to evolve, this release best reflects the most striking change between versions, reflecting the creator's growing interest in character design.
Sangled would draw these iterations frequently, often in crossover fanart, Q&A-style posts, and memes. These would not only explore the characters' personalities and backgrounds, but also their relationships with each other. Most prominently, the group of Oojin, Gabrielle, Adam, and Mililani became more focused, possibly foreshadowing their eventual spotlight in future developments.
Due to the increased output and interaction with curious fans, they stated their intentions to incorporate their characters into a project. Said project would eventually become the unreleased Chromasynth game, though Sangled commented that a webcomic was considered, then discarded in favor of a more interactive medium that allowed for people to feel as if they were a part of the world.
Currently, Chromasynth remains unfinished, with Sangled posting art, designs, and pieces of writing as indicators of progress. Though the game is publicly incomplete, potential outlines of the finished product have been created by speculative fans.
Examples of Spectrum Squad characters with backgrounds corresponding to their powers.
Individual art of featured characters, now with a simple colored background and their full names.
Trivia
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The Chromasynth characters would not be the first original characters Sangled has created. She has described sketching comics of other groups of characters as a child with similar thematic elements, such as food or emotions. The cast of Chromasynth, however, would be the first characters she would design as a young adult, leading to an attachment and eventual incorporation into a large-scale project.
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The name 'Spectrum Squad' was always considered a placeholder. For the final name, Sangled considered a variety of color-related phrases. An old archive reveals that 'Some Black N' White' was almost chosen, potentially due to the thematic relevancy of contrasting extremes.
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Certain character identities were influenced by development decisions. For example, Phoebe's character was originally conceived as a similar-looking pink boy named Percy. Sangled decided to make Phoebe canonically transgender as a slight nod to the change.
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Sangled has noted that one of the most flattering comments they have received was an anonymous user asking permission to replicate a Chromasynth jacket design in real life.
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Though mass-produced fan merchandise is not allowed, other fan creations, such as commissions and cosplay, are allowed.
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The true meaning of the title (Chromasynth) is unclear to this day.