Kelvin Shadewing's Pixels

[Key0808]

Horrizontal or vertical lifebars?

Horizontal all the way. I think a horizontal health bar stretching across the top is less obstructing to what's going on than a vertical health bar stretching across the left or right (especially if you can get more health through power ups and the health bar becomes longer).

As for the background color of the portraits, maybe you can make it a relative color to health (i.e., darkening as health goes down, or starting at green and ending in red)? Although, that might be a bit odd, seeing a you already have a health bar indicating your current health status. Maybe just make it flash red when you get hurt?