yeahhh, i know default assets can really damage a game's chances (and as i've recently discovered, ESPECIALLY with jams heh). since i don't really have art skills, i thought about making my games stand out in different ways; eye-catching thumbnails, vague descriptions and screenshots, playing with sounds, a focus on storytelling (obviously i'm not the first person to ever do any of this but it's what i could put my efforts into that wasn't art)... and i'm really grateful for the people who decided to try my games, and the people who leave comments like yours! :> but thinking about what you say, i'll admit it does sound nice to have a bigger chance in people trying my projects lol.
i'm also brand new to pixel art, but screw it i'll try it for my next game! thank you so much for recommending a tool, i'll look into it and see how it works and if i'm comfortable with it. you're def one of the nicest commenters i've found on itch.io so far, and your encouragement to new people here and suggestions for making my games stand out are REALLY appreciated. wish you a great future on this website!! <3
(also off topic, i'm gonna go try sweet dreams now, i gotta see what the fuss is about-)