Here's a preliminary list of questions to help clarify the style of humanoid sprites. We can also ask why we choose a particular answer over another. If the current player sprites are taken as a model, then these questions already have specific answers. But it's not clear that the current player sprites shouldn't be improved.
- What are ALL of the dimensions and proportions of a normal humanoid? (This information can be represented with a few templates.)
- Should the skin be a simple color so it can be recolored?
- Should shading be crisp or dithered?
- How should the humanoid stand?
- How should the humanoid travel (walk/run leg, arm, body motions)?
- How should the humanoid attack?
- Other questions?
My own view is that the player spriteset should be enhanced in two ways. The post Pixel art references and possible inspirations gives examples of what I'm talking about.
- The extremities should be larger. Bigger hands and feet; maybe also head. Reasons: Notice that comparable games tend to use characters with larger extremities. By doing so, they are able to show off both accessories (gloves, boots, hats, maybe even rings) and weapons. With small extremities, we're forced to use small accessories and weapons. (Notice the work and interest that's gone into cool hats, but not cool boots or gloves. That's partially because the hands and feet are so small, but the head is big enough to sport some detail on a cool accessory.) Examples of good use of large extremities: games like Ragnarok and Talesweaver. Users can proudly sport gloves, boots, and cool weapons. That is a good characteristic and we should do likewise.
- We should make the motion more fluid. Good pixel art for comparable projects involves motion that is a lot more fluid than the current player sprite. Wider stances, more movements or turns, little hops, etc. Reason: Such fluidity looks less stiff and is more fun to play with.