Hey, Firespike33, I dont know the timer would be displaying wrong at first, but the only way to win is to have 1 or 2 hearts left. it says it on the itch page AND in the About & Settings button. The reason why coins can restore your health is so then one, to add extra challnege to avoid them, because like I said, you need to have the least amount of hearts as possible, and adds a bit of strategy.
I read the About section before playing, so I was well aware of that being the only way to win. That has nothing to do with my criticism.
EDIT: Actually, the way you described it is pretty misleading. You said you have to finish EVERY level with 1 or 2 hearts, but really you only have to finish the last level. I thought I was screwing myself over by completing any level with 3 hearts, which is why I complained that the game gave no earlier indication of your failure. I didn't communicate this criticism very well I admit.
Also, regarding the coins: the reason they're are confusing is because they are immediately consumed to restore lost health; if you take damage and have coins, it looks like you're just instantly dying without losing any health. I spent the first few minutes in the game unsure how I was even supposed to take damage.
Again, I understand the mechanics of the game. I just feel like the way the game communicates them (not just in the About screen, but in the gameplay itself) is rather unintuitive. The coin explanation in the About screen is not sufficient, because it isn't explained that coins are converted to health AFTER you take damage. That's putting aside that game systems this basic should be self-explanatory and not require explanation in the first place.
Saying "To win, you need to finish all five levels with 1 or 2 hearts" can easily be misinterpreted because you specifically mention "all five levels," implying that this restriction applies to every level in the game. A wording like "To win, you must complete the game with 1 or 2 hearts left" would be better, although still limited in usefulness because on your first run you don't know which level is last.
None of this was a huge deal, but it made the experience a lot rougher than it needed to be for such a simple game.
mm that's probably a better wording for the about, but keep in mind, 1 this is my first game jam and 2 my second game so I dont have much experience for making games also, I only worked on this game for about 36 hours. but, thx for the feedback. And the reason why you regain a life when u lose a heart, that's to make sure u wony ever get more then 3 hearts.