I think the idea of replaying the game in a new context whenever you get a new ability is interesting. Also, the presentation is on point. Everything in the game is extremely clear and the overall quality feels very tight. 

I died quite a few times on the first platforming section due to either my lack of skill or just extremely tight platforming challenges, and since there was no tangible progress, it was quite a bit of time spent replaying without experiencing any new abilities (esp. because how slow you are at that point). I feel like this amount of punishment early on is likely to exhaust the patience of impatient folks like myself.

This was quite fun! I think the metroidvania / roguelike combination is an interesting one, and you've implemented it very well.  I really liked the enemy design and the level design. So here are just some bits that I would have liked to have seen:

- Having to start all the way in the beginning every time you died felt a bit bad, especially given how far you'd have to go every time and how slow you move. After the dash it's a bit better, but I'd have liked to have seen some quick travel points. 

- The map is useful, but a bit less user-friendly than I'd have liked because you can't see where on each section you are. 

- Having to dump your leftover money every time you restart combined with the fact that the big coin things are only once-off meant that I was disincentivised to collect the coins until I already have an upgrade blueprint ready (and usually by the time I find one, I already have enough money). Some way to make those last (e.g. having them be "unopened" and then be able to opened on the upgrade screen when you need them) might have helped with that.

- It felt like the blueprint-collecting element sort of clashed with the rogue-like purchase element, since it essentially gates the upgrades as if they were pick-ups anyway, and thus takes away the choice element that the roguelike money-gathering bit would have enabled. There was never a point in which I had multiple upgrades and had to choose one of them.

- The player controller felt a bit unresponsive and slow, and many of the jumps required a lot of precision that the controller didn't always consistently deliver (or I was just bad at it!).

Anyway, I really liked the concept, and it drew me in for quite a while. Well done!

This game is great! I finished it yesterday (with 69% completion) and thought it was super fun! This is definitely be in my top 5 for this metroidvania month. however, i do have a few criticisms.

1. the early game is incredibly slow, and the jumps are too difficult. A game is ALWAYS going to feel easier to the developer. the early game jump sections were incredibly tight, and the game doesn't ever feel that hard again with its jumps.

2. the world is actually quite large! however this comes with downsides. the fact that you Always re-spawn in the same location means that getting to the edges of the map takes ages, especially when you have to keep going there (such as for the ability in the top left, or the final boss)

3. the final boss actually feels really good to fight, but is very inconsistent in difficulty. the attack where it flies into the sky and shoots down upon you feels fundamentally unfair, as not only is it the hardest attack to dodge, it also does not leave the boss vulnerable in any way, leading to it feeling unfair. a small vulnerability either before or after the attack would be great.

4. due to the height and floatyness of the jump, combined with the slow movement speed, the early game feels slow. really, really slow. the speed at which you move is too slow for how high the jump is and the way that the character falls. this also leads to dying being more frustrating than it should be, as dying is a much larger punishment with low speed.

Great game however! i cant really say much about the art (i cant make art either) but this game was really fun!

During my very first playthrough, I hated it. But I was also up pretty late and grouchy anyway.

Once I started getting the hang of it, enjoyment increased exponentially!

I really like the minimalistic presentation, in both aesthetic and sound. I feel like I'm in some kind of minimalist dream when playing.

The controls and roguelike elements take some getting used to, especially the way you have to activate the walking ability before, well, you can walk.

So, huh...I guess you really have to learn to walk before advancing to other abilities!

After walking, you can purchase the jumping ability, and then the swordwielding ability, and so on.

So yeah, I really enjoy this game and will keep playing it for some time to come!

I definitely notice the rogue-like element. Although it does feel more rogue-like than metroidvania-ish, it is also what you’re exposed to before the idea of a metroidvania kicks in.

The game feel reminds me of Minit, although, since dying is a big aspect and arguably a focus of the game, I do wish for it to be less punishing. The player has a lot of hit points, but the floaty movement kind of makes that necessary. I wish the movement would feel more in my control and that the move speed were doubled, perhaps also more respawn points & a smaller hurt box.

Without those, having to track the same path multiple times without it providing any additional progress along the way feels a bit like I could’ve spend my time better.

In conclusion: I believe that if the movement were less floaty, perhaps the starting abilities of the player were just a bit more generous and some more respawn points/shop stations were added along the way, that it would instantly feel a lot better to play.

Cute aesthetic and challenging platforming, but I had to give up after enough deaths.

PROS:

• The platforming uses the movement skills well without always spelling out how you're supposed to solve each of the platforming puzzles.
• Enemy designs were nicely simple while also complimenting to the respective area where they were located.
• The "Self Destruct" failsafe is nice for letting players fail gracefully and try something different in a different run.

CRITIQUE:

• I was a bit tired while trying to play so not as good at reactions as I'd normally be, but the platforming on several sections is VERY TIGHT.  Reducing the player damage collision or adding something like "coyote time" for jumps would really help players feel cooler than they are and let them access more of your game as a result.
• The map is pretty large and you always start from the same location. I don't know if you've got an upgrade for dynamic spawn location, but especially after failing far from the original spawn the idea of trying again is daunting.
• There were some quality of life points where a trigger to load into a different area was just over a jump that I needed to make so I had to do a half-jump just to not level transition twice. Since it takes more time for that than just taking damage and getting put back on the last point of solid ground that turned into a big annoyance (especially the 7th time it caught me or so, lol).

I like this one!