this was incredible. I like that you found some solid assets and went after the gameplay programming and design for a fully polished game with well considered balancing of your mechanics and everything. This would ahve been a quarter grabber for me in the arcades. You accomplished that stated goal of 'as intense as you want it to be'.
I saw some echoes of Hollow Knight or games that preceded it with these ideas in your way of having the minerals remain where you last died kind of giving you a chance to recoup the currency that you had lost. That and the level progression occurring when you lost a boss battle with the really cool transitions both graphically and with music, subtle yet effective nods to the jam theme, chef's kisses all around.
I played through until the first area in level 3 where my ship got stuck between two asteroids and I couldn't seem to back thrust my way out of it. Attaching a screen shot just for reference of where it happened. It was a pleasure playing!
