It’s always nice to see a jam game with a considered plot! I appreciated the frequency with which you got to choose upgrades, and once I got the hang of the controls, it was pretty satisfying to kill the small mobs. It has a good difficulty curve.
As others mentioned, the clashing art styles were distracting. I also didn’t realize what the gold was for until I clicked the Skills menu on accident. A polished hub with clearer instructions on what your goals are/what you can do in the game world would be a welcome addition.