Hello! Garden Monarch stands out aesthetically as a mystical forest pixel platformer, with an almighty wheel of fate to destine whether you stand a chance or inevitably perish. From the player's design to the selection of music, my gameplay experience felt somewhat reminiscent of Hollow Knight. (One of my favorite games ever!)
I appreciate the open space made to acquaint to controls as they felt unusual, along with the overall aura and ambience to foreshadow what awaits. Breaking into the lair of the Mushroom, the combat felt reasonably challenging and progressively more intense. I was affixed to play via mouse/keys, so I felt friction from dashing toward my mouse versus the pressed arrow key. Moreover, when Phase 2 of the Mushroom battle ensues, the wheel enables some ability that evidently was not intended to freeze my position indefinitely.
I did like the special spinning blade attack, and yet I feel this could be polished to enable hold and release for smoother control of fire.
As a sound designer, what I heard from implementation of sound suits the world and aids to the melancholy loneliness I would imagine the player feels.
Great work on this one and I'm glad I could give it a play!