Rescuing characters and using them as lives is a neat idea. Some notes from my playthrough:
- I wish I didn't have to pick up every item in my way. There were times I wanted to keep using my AK for example but then was forced to pick up a pistol. I tried jumping over them but I was still picking up the weapons on the ground.
- The larger enemies might have too much health, or I was just using weak weapons. It would take a very long time to kill them.
- Sometimes the enemies will spawn right on top of you which is rough
Overall cool project and good job on finishing it!