Trouble with cyberpunk color pallettes

[Double7]

So I am having an irritating time trying to get the character model for this game. I want them to be small (around 16x16), but I don't really want "cute" characters. These are what I have come up with so far, is there any other 16x16 designs you guys can think of that aren't "cute" and that will fit well into this cyberpunk world?

[wzl]

i couldnt resist

[Double7]

Here is the character face for that specific character. Any ideas on how to improve it at all? I think it is pretty decent but I also know i've seen better

Also thanks so much for all of the help so far.

[Bak]

Didnt read the thread, but using achromatic color like pure gray with normal colors is not a good idea.
Look at that first page examples on how GITS cityscape is blue and akira is green-yellow. Just wander around those pictures with color fill, i doubt concrete would be just gray with all the purple neon reflecting on it.

[Ma3vis]

Green is a recurring theme in cyberpunk because of the old IBM terminals glowed a phosphorescent green. It stuck, obviously.

Neon colors in general


So is red/white/orange for contrast




Blue also tends to be a middle ground in blend/transition from purple or green

[Bak]

i made a quick rough recoloring


I added some coloring and tried to separate vertical and horizontal surfaces by making horizontal surfaces(floor) brighter.

[washk]

The right one is clearly a big improvement. I dig it.

[MysteryMeat]

Ditto. Excellent colors, gives me sort of a hyper light drifter vibe but without the eye strain

[Double7]

So I have been working for about a week on other stuff in the project and decided I would share. I didn't see meat's version until now. I must say it looks really cool, it is just not what I was going for. I will definitely use the techniques shown to give a better separation though.

Again this doesn't have the added lighting from the engine. I will be sure to post when I get that update. I also plan to have animations on the lights and on a lot of the other features so it will look a lot more complete.



Here is a picture of the menu in progress. I will be adding an animation over the whole thing to make it look like a hologram. So if anyone has tips on that I will definitely take them.

[Ma3vis]

Highlighted some conflicts with a red outline

01. top menu needs more contrast from the overall game
02. characters' hair in comparison to 
03. the power line looks strange
04. the incomplete sign on the bus stop (?) takes away focus from everything else -- needs less bright colors

Also all the dark colors (gray buildings, dull green jacket) looks muddled together
Hence a reason the reshading on u/Bak's building looks cleaner