Pixel Fighters

Pixel Fighters would be a one-on-one fighting game that takes inspiration from modern-day 8-bit games like Shovel Knight in that it would be designed with a well-defined NES art style. It takes inspiration from the Street Fighter NES fan game in that it would have Super Mario Bros.-like graphics, but it would have very refined, tight gameplay and combos. The 8-bit limitations would only been a design feature. As an example, you can look at the 8-bit sprites in Fire Emblem: Awakening.

Story
The game's main protagonist would be a young man named Katsuo Akiyama, whose father, Takeshi, was considered the world's greatest martial artist until 20 years before the events of the game. Takeshi, after winning all the world's major fighting tournaments, began accepting challengers in hopes of helping fellow fighters learn and become more experienced, and his challenge matched gained a following from the public just as he had. He did this for a few years, but then a mysterious, unnamed figure clad in black came along to challenge him; he didn't look like much of a threat, and Takeshi underestimated him. He managed to fell Takeshi within seconds, to the shock of the entire world.

The press and public direly wanted to learn more about this stranger, but he disappeared without a trace after his legendary victory, and had not been seen since. Katsuo was fascinated by the story of this stranger ever since he'd heard it, and his life goal became to find this stranger and become skilled enough to defeat him. In addition to learning all he could from his father, he followed every lead he possibly could on the stranger, and ran into dead ends time after time.

One day, he finally got a tip from one of his friends, an investigator who had been helping him in his search for the past six months. The tip said that a man clad in black had defeated a powerful fighting champion on Mount Korab in Albania. The two travel to the mountain, and make an attempt to confront the stranger. However, they first find the champion in question at his studio, lying badly bruised on the sparring ground. He tells them where he thinks the stranger went, and after soon meeting him for the first time, they are forced into a fight with his henchman.

After defeating them all, they come to the conclusion that this stranger is not some random fighter, but the center of an organization he assembled to defeat powerful fighters, but for a reason they don't know yet. The champion who had just been defeated also convinces them to let him come along and help them track down the stranger and discover his motives, and the three begin a journey across many countries, meeting many people, and fighting many battles to get to the bottom of what the stranger in black is planning.

Characters

 * Katsuo - A strong, confident, light-hearted, and respectful martial artist who learned potent elemental combat techniques from his father.  His fighting style is very tiger-like and bold, and he can be quite fierce in a fight.  Some of his moves include a fireball, lightning stomp, and whirlwind punch.
 * Weston - A U.S. federal investigator and a friend of Katsuo's who is helping him pursue the stranger in black.  He isn't as skilled in hand-to-hand martial arts as Katsuo is, but to compensate, he has numerous devices that he can use to surprise his opponents in a fight.  He knows some kung-fu and judo, and also has a hidden billy club, small flash bang grenades, and a taser.
 * Besmir - One of the greatest fighters in northern Albania who accompanies Katsuo after being badly defeated by the stranger in black.  He's rather talkative, and is an expert in boxing and throwing techniques.  As such, he is dangerous to take on at close range.