Really like the animations of the characters. The game loop reminds me of those retro simulation adventures like “beat cop”.
What I lacked a bit was feedback and juice. E.g. it took me a couple of deaths to realize what was killing me.
As for controls I generally think the less buttons you need to still achieve everything the better. When designing controls try to limit yourself e.g. arrow keys and a single button and only introduce a new one if you’re stuck design wise.
Keep at it! Add that story, would live to see it