[WIP] Epic Tribal Character

[Gamann]

Hi everybody,
I need your help to judge and improve this character from an upcoming platform-adventure game I am working on. He should be a tribal hero, setting off for a long travel to unexplored lands. The atmospheres are mature, gloomy and at times melancholic.
Do you think it is technically convincing? How could it be improved stylistically, considering we’d rather not add too much detail to prevent an excess of realism?
I’m very impressed by the talent of the artists here in the forum, so I look forward to getting some feedback from you 

Original size:


4x size:

 

[HarveyDentMustDie]

First, you don't have to post larger resolution of your image, Pixelation have build in zooming option (which can be activated by clicking on image).

Second, here is my edit. I went a bit crazy with a sword design just for fun. Maybe it's not appropriate, but your sword was to plain for my taste. 

[Reo]

First of all, welcome to Pixelation! 

I started messing around with this edit and seem to have missed what you said about details and realism
I think there are still some points to be taken from it, even if you're not aiming for something as detailed.
Your character belongs to a tribe, what kind of tribe is it? Are they a nomadic desert tribe? Do they live in the jungle, the mountains?
By your character I think we should be able to get a glimpse of the culture he belongs to. At the moment I'm getting a few different signals from yours. To me it reads a bit as a 'pirate' at the moment, with a dash of barbarian to him.  You need to think about what kind of tribe this is. Especially things like that sort of steel sword seems unfit for a tribal approach.
Your design reminded me a bit of the Dothraki from Game of Thrones and I pushed my edit a bit in my direction( perhaps a bit too far). But I do think you could add some elements to help him read as belonging to a unique culture, the pants and belt for instance could be traded for something with tribal patterns or made from animal skin.

Also while I see where you are coming from with the muted colors, it is a bit hard to read at 1x when they're all so close in contrast. If it's hard to read now, it might be even harder in game. You don't want your character to disappear into the background.
My edit might look to much like a Khal Drogo/Kratos fusion but I hope it can give you some ideas!

[Gamann]

Guys, thank you for your valuable insights and the edits you’ve made!
I actually didn’t specify the cultural context this “tribal hero” belongs to, but after all it’s not much the outfit I was interested in, but rather a stylistic solution which is both realistic in the proportions and stylised and plain in forms and colours.
Anyways, I’ve tried to put your suggestions to good use and this is the result. The only problem yet to be solved is the chest, which I’m struggling to depict without exceeding with details. I even thought about leaving it as it is.
As far as proportions are concerned, I’m more inclined to portray him as a romantic hero such as Ulysses rather than a brutal one like Conan or Kratos. I mean, preferably athletic and smart more than brawny.
Finally, then, I’ve decided to remove the ponytail as it seemed to remind too much of Khal Drogo.