Hi Alex,
I hope you're having a good time at GDC! ;)
Yeah, I think the new arcade floor looks fun but but still easy on the eyes, which is great!
Totally understand about the short arm thing, having had to deal with working on a franchise with characters with short arms. XD I just looked at some Link sprite sheets and it seems like they just extend his arms longer when he carries items above his head - would assume that arm extending will look less obvious with robots, which works in your favor. ;3