If the brief was "Megaman style" I would probably attack it by taking it in this direction. Reduce it to simple shapes, thicken up the legs, then add shading using large, simple clusters. (I referenced Megaman to influence my cluster shapes). The shapes are simple to keep them readable. The shading could be pushed a lot more, and the angle doesn't really work with the missing right arm, but you get the idea.
But that's only if you want to emulate that particular style.
There are elements of your style that I like. The shading on the gun is nice (especially from a distance), and the whole thing is more detailed. Elements seem to blend into each other though. Megaman avoided that by rabidly outlining everything. Your guy's legs, for example, blend into the tongues of the shoes. (If I'm reading it right.) The helmet blends into the face. The legs and shell merge together.
There's probably a middle-ground between the low-detail Megaman style and yours. I'd say:
- clean up your line work. You have some messy curves, jaggies, unnecessary corners, and noisy single pixels.
- If you're going to use outlines, use them to increase readability.
- If you're losing readability in an area, try increasing contrast or changing hue. This should help separate elements.
(Or in this style, stick in a black line.)
- Don't be afraid of large, simple cluster shapes. They can make things easy to read and look nice and smooth if you're careful.
