So I am building a prototype for a sort of foddian climbing game and settled on a vibe similar to Celeste. The game is very not finished (you may tell from the lack of background) , I am just testing the mechanics and artstyle. I initially based the character in the video off of Madeline from Celeste's sprite, but I did my best to try to then give it its own identity. However, I feel like anytime I try to diverge from the Celeste style, it just looks bad, and when I try to fix it, then it ends up looking like Madeline again. 

Additionally, I even implemented the dynamic flowing hair from Celeste and tried it out. I think that it is really cool but it definitely doesn't help my case for trying to not just look like Celeste. It makes me wonder if choosing to be unique is worth losing quality. Also, with Celeste being so popular, it's like dynamic pixel art hair is "socially patented". I know there are games that have similar things in their own styles that aren't seen as being like Celeste. One example is the game Sunblaze. Sunblaze has like a much different style though, which makes me question if I might have to go for a different style completely for my game which I think would completely change the vibe.

Anyways, I just wanted to see other people's thoughts on this.

* Is my character too similar to Celeste? 
* Does my current character look alright? 
* Would the dynamic pixel art hair be too much? Perhaps like a dynamic scarf or cape?
* Are there any other games that imitates the feeling and vibe of Celeste while still having its own identity?
* Not the primary thing I'm focusing on but I would also appreciate opinions on the gameplay.

Also, if it matters, my eventual goal is to put my first game on Steam that I am proud of and possibly get a few sales as well. 





Is my character too similar to Celeste's Madeline?