Goro' Lair looks not bad, i just don't like red palette.
Where did you see moon light in MK1? This stage placed under Throne Room in MK:Shaolin Monks.
For lighting better just add torches (like it was in MK4/MKA).
Okay so I've brought this up many times already and I know it's probably getting annoying by now, so it'll probably be the last time I bring it up.
Firstly, I'm not saying there was
definitely any moonlight. But since the original looks rather bright and has no torches, if a light source could be attributed to it - the contrast of the wall and the ground, plus the overall tone of the stage itself, could be interpreted as being bathed in moonlight. That is an interpretation, I'm not saying it is fact, but I do feel it would give the Lair a similar look. Even on the quick example I did, you can see how it could work if it were done correctly. And really, if there's no torches, what else could be done to establish any mood for the stage?
Also does anyone actually know where the stage's intended location was in MK1? At the time MK1 was made?
You are using later games like MK4, MK:SM and MK:A as references, but do not acknowledge MK9's Lair which has gaps in the ceiling where moonlight is cast down from Courtyard. TBH though, none of those games should have any bearing on this project, I feel it's open to interpretation on how to match the tone of the stage in a natural way to its original version. Not only that, but in a natural way that does not conflict with the characters who need consistent lighting across the stage they'll be crossing. This was a limitation of the original too, I'm sure they
could have had flames just like in Palace Gates, but they had to use the same sprite set that was used for daylit stages, so very dark environments would not have worked. It's almost amusing that by using a 2D engine, we still have the same problem in our HD remake because the same sprites need to be used for every stage.
Badmouse's previous version did look very good, but IMO it was too dark and had too much variation for the characters to match with it. Apart from making a faithful recreation, we need lighting that gives the stage a similar look to the original so that the sprites function with it correctly. If anyone has ideas on how to do that without moonlight, please share them, because I can't think of anything else. Hope everyone understands where I'm coming from on this.