This is the kind of Metroidvania I like, where upgrades are quite literal on the character, and I like the fact that you put the effort to describe and show the gradual changes each time.
The rope map was a bit weird, with many lever enabled platforms without a clear purpose, and I couldn't figure out a way to move forward other than getting hit by the kobold in the top right, forcing the character to fall on the lower platform. Also, I think the kitchen area should have the waterfall visible from the beginning, or some other way to make it clear there is a path there that you can't yet reach: I believe that would make it easier to find, so the player can more easily remember where to go once they get another upgrade that might help progress. The food items over the place could be blurred a bit, or maybe made a bit transparent, to make it more clear they are decorations and not interactable objects.
And given you can go back to the town, it would be neat as a little detail to have different conversation with the npc based on the upgrades you obtained, as they comment on your changes perhaps.