Hooded Hero – Pixel Art Walk Cycle for Top-Down Dungeon Crawler

Description:
I created a custom pixel art hero character for a fantasy top‑down game, inspired by classic Zelda aesthetics but with a unique minimalist twist. The client needed a compact, hooded protagonist with a square hitbox and subtle 8‑bit style – perfect for multiplayer color customization.

Deliverables:

4‑direction walk and idle animation

35×40 pixel frames, transparent background

Source file provided for easy modifications

Clean, limited palette with color zones for tunic and hood swaps

Process:
The client provided reference images and feedback. I iterated on proportions and silhouette to achieve a balanced, readable character that works well in a top‑down view. The final animation uses a gentle bounce and sway to convey motion without detailed limbs – keeping the minimalist charm.

Tools used: Aseprite, Photoshop

Client feedback: “Very nice! Yes, please proceed with this concept.”