Back from a 6-Year Hiatus - Would Love some Critique on this LP Thumbnail

[lapis snow]

Hey everyone! I just came back to YouTube after a six-year hiatus.
I’m uploading a Dragon Quest III HD-2D MODDED Let’s Play series and rebuilding everything from scratch, including thumbnails and branding.

Would love any feedback on this thumbnail I made for Episode 1. I’m trying to balance readability and vibe. Any advice or thoughts?

Also, if anyone else is reviving an old channel or coming back from a break, I’d love to hear how you approached it!
https://youtu.be/rSyJ3P8z7Fw?si=cBb10frHErwF6q15

[gilded scarab]

I’d say to focus on one key element for characters in your thumbnail, don’t include the number of the episode (as it can scare away new viewers.) make it more so each episode can standalone. And you can put it into a playlist to indicate episodes. And I wouldn’t include the title/logo of the game in your thumbnail. Let the title speak for you there. That would lessen the crowdedness of the thumbnail. You can really put any other text on there you’d like “you need to play this” “this is crazy.. “ etc.

[lapis snow]

I really appreciate the input!👍 I totally get the minimalist approach and it definitely makes sense for algorithm optimization and all that. I’ve just always loved the bold, structured LP format, especially when it's part of a playlist-based series. Might experiment with a few different layouts later down the line though! Thanks!

[gilded scarab]

You can still make it clean it’s a let’s play without listing episodes on the thumbnail. It just crowds it up, and doesn’t really work anymore. But you’re welcome either way!

[lapis snow]

Totally fair take and I can definitely see why a cleaner, more dynamic layout works better for broader engagement. I think I’m just leaning into that structured, nostalgic Let’s Play style right now, especially since I’m doing playlist-based storytelling. But I appreciate the feedback either way man and it’s making me think about experimenting with future variations.

[gilded scarab]

Perhaps you can shrink the number then, to make it snug in a bit cleaner! There’s ways to do it for sure.

[lapis snow]

I think that works tbh because looking at it now, it doooes look a bit too big lol

[lime sentinel]

I like it