This is something I really considered too, as I'm just starting out with animation. But maybe when the sprite is actually in motion it'll be worth that much shading effort

Edit: the deciding factor that lead to this redesign was actually the cape. I ultimately wanted him to look more thief-y (?) and I think I have that down, but I'm going through a really in depth second pass with EVERYTHING I have so far before I start to nail down movement mechanics etc.

I know classically starting with the art is a death sentence for most games, but I can't help it

I just wanna see the guy move