All good points, and something I've thought about. I realize that being closer to the character creates more emotional attachment, but I find that I tend to enjoy 2D platformers more which have a camera that backs off just a little. I feel suffocated when the camera is right up in my face and I can't see for longer distances. Right now my resolution is 960 x 540, which renders the zoom to be 2x. The next step up would be 640x360, or 3x zoom. I find that to be a bit much. That was actually the first thing I tried... here's my first mockup:
I will continue to consider the smaller resolution... I do like certain things about it, such as what you mentioned about being able to read the emotions of the characters more clearly, and how much more manageable this would be.
I definitely agree about the heart icons. I will make those smaller for sure... I just threw those in there as an afterthought. Like I said, its just copy pasted clip art. I'm working on my own version as we speak.
EDIT:
Here's the heart. Its a little under 64x64, so its slightly smaller than the character. Might make it smaller. Not sure if I like the shine spots.
Ref:
