I'm glad you liked the art! It was my first time creating my own art for a game, so the wonderful feedback I'm getting on it is really motivating. The design of the main character was definitely inspired by madeline, I wanted a character that looked more realistic than the more standard exaggerated proportions you often see on 16x16 characters.
You also might be the first one to pick up on the hidden tutorial as well. I don't particularly like tutorials in games, so I designed some of the levels specifically to teach mechanics.