Holy sh** this is hard! LOL. But at the same time super fun and addicting!! It sets the expectation very early on this is going to be punishing and difficult. But in a challenging way... not in a cheap, you fell to your death because of jank collision and now you have to restart the entire level way. I didn't rage quit this, or even want to... I wanted to keep trying because I 'believed' I could get better. :P LOL. (And... you restart so quickly, so it doesn't feel as annoying).
Honestly, this has so much appeal and charm. It's super simple, and the recall mechanic with the sword is fantastic. I want to just keep trying.
I love the chunky look of it too, and the way you used the palette.
I only had two (minor) notes:
1) It took me a sec to realize when I pressed 'c' it actually dropped the sword the first couple times. I thought he was just playing an anim I didn't understand (because I didn't move, and they stacked). I think if you just offset the sword a slight bit when it planted, it would read a little clearer. (Or offset the player?).
Basically, here is the current pose:
Maybe something more like?:
So you can see he clearly planted and separated from his sword. (the sound effects are perfect though :P). So I think with the two combined, it would be clear right from the start.
2) My other one... and this is just personal taste. The chunky art is so satisfying and appealing, I wish it all stayed chunky. :P Like, even the sword planting, I wish it was drawn that way (vs rotations). Or even when it rotates through the air, be a distinct rotate anim etc. Same with the affects that scale up. Staying in that pixel scale. But..... then that wouldn't be sort of your distinct style... so... idk. lol. I just think overall, it'd feel more polished imo.
But damn... this is long because I loved the game so much. It's crazy addicting, has a simple hook, and is a TON of fun. The feel of it when the music kicks up and everything.... it's just awesome.