Thanks for playing, and all the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the pixel art, as that is where I poured a great deal of my time into. You called it on the music, it's another FacemeltingSolos collab! Also glad you enjoyed the characters/relationship.
Your feedback on the combat is appreciated. That's a tough area for me, as I've gotten comments ranging from "it's way too clunky" to "it's perfect!" My goal with this game was to make a side-scrolling beat-em-up. Problem is, I don't have a ton of experience with the genre. The only one I've ever completed was the Scott Pilgrim game (by far the biggest influence on this game), but it's been long enough that it's more based on my memories of the game rather than the reality.
Anyway, that's a long way of saying that ultimately, I do want to smooth out the combat for the 2.0 update I'm planning... but I want to be careful not to damage the elements that make it feel like a beat-em-up. So expect some sort of polish in that area. Probably setting up a way to break out of the combo for better dodging/blocking.
BOSS SPOILERS PAST HERE..... STOP NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED......... on the door section of the first boss, there is a visual cue as to which door to hit. It's a carry over from the previous door in level 2 (the city streets). It fades in and out depending on how close you are to the correct door. I wasn't sure how noticeable it would be, and it seems you didn't catch it. That said, I figured that most players who missed it would eventually be able to brute force their way through, since it's only four doors. The correct door does randomize each time though, hehe. END SPOILERS
In regards to your note at the end... Yeah, I'm at the point where I'm not sure how to proceed next. It's feeling more and more like it's time to do something closer to a "full" game instead of just another jam game. Since Yuri Jam 2021 allows entrants to start whenever, I may try something a little longer for Tama and Paisley's next game. Though I also see the "main" story falling more on June. I guess we'll see! Either way, I hope you stick around for whatever comes next! :)