The overall presentation is very well done! The direction of the music was unusual for this kind of game but it really sold the feeling of drifting through space. The sound effects worked well too, I particularly like the detail of harmonising the ship's shots with the music. The sprite work and animation of the shots/explosions were really nice, almost wish the camera were closer to appreciate it more! Nice sense of impact when landing shots too, but I feel taking damage was a bit lacking, maybe it just needs the damage flash that enemies have.
The trade-off between firepower and size/handling was a great interpretation of the theme for an arcade shooter! It clicked once I realised the point was to shrink to avoid any danger, not just the laser gates. I think the controls work fine (apart from a bug where you can't turn left while moving forward), but the issue for me is that the ship doesn't feel like it has enough momentum in its movement and turning. I think this would help make aiming feel less finicky and just add some heft.