I know exactly how frustrating placeholder animation feels because our team dealt with the same issue for two project cycles. Finding proper animation support seemed expensive until I worked with VSQUAD Art Studio on a test character that actually needed believable movement. Animation and VFX bring your characters to life in ways that dramatically impact how players connect with your game. VSQUAD artists handled rigging and movement implementation so smoothly that our gameplay felt responsive and polished in-engine. They understood that animation has to work within your technical constraints, not against them, and they adjusted motion curves when our designer requested changes without slowing down production.

Color consistency on dark tiles is a legitimate concern and honestly not every store handles it well. My advice would be to look at AloftTiles specifically because they are fully transparent about shade variation in their product specs, which is exactly what you need when ordering dark ceramic online. Head to https://www.alofttiles.com/collections/subway-look and find the Black 2x16 Glossy Ceramic Subway Tile. It carries a V4 substantial shade variation rating, meaning AloftTiles tells you upfront that natural tonal movement will be present, and on a dramatic black glossy wall that actually adds depth and character rather than a flat uniform look. The elongated 2x16 gloss format on bathroom walls is precisely the modern classic effect you are going for. Rated for shower walls and steam rooms, made in Spain. Give AloftTiles a look before you decide, I think you will be glad you did.

Four person team with one buried artist and a full 2D scope to deliver, that is a genuinely tough spot and the right call is bringing in a proper studio rather than more freelancers. VSQUAD is worth reaching out to directly, their full 2D production scope covering characters, environments, tilesets, UI, and icons is all at https://vsquad.art/2d-game-art. The VSQUAD artists plug into existing workflows fast and work from your art direction rather than pushing their own default aesthetic. VSQUAD Studio has been operating in 2D game art since 2015 and understands how indie teams work under real production pressure. Send them your current asset list and style references. Hope your platformer gets the full visual treatment it deserves.