Yellow/Green – When a player stumbles upon a room lit by yellow lighting, it automatically makes them feel either accomplished, content, or comfortable, depending on the situation. Also a very stealthy color. Makes the player more aware, and more careful. It also gives the environment a living, breathing quality.
Blue/Purple – The color of sadness. Blue rooms seem very full of memory. It’s the opposite of yellow, so it’s a good way to make players slow down and think. It can also cause players to second guess, so be careful.
Red/Orange – Using red will make players feel like they need to do things quickly. Almost like the place is “gonna blow.” Putting enemies in the way of the escape only helps exaggerate the suspense of the situation.
White/Brightness – White doesn’t really make the player think much. Normally just makes the player focus on the job that needs to be done and not much else. If you want to make a good map, use white when NPCs are talking or telling a story. Players will focus more on the talking than the unimpressive background.
Black/Darkness – Gives a large sense of uncertainty and insecurity. Good for scary maps. If you use this, don’t use it too much because, like white, it’s not meant for fun. When a player has just finished a completely dark portion of the map, make sure that when they ascend, they see something really bright and cool for a sense of accomplishment and contrast.