Thanks a lot! There was a lot of work on the art indeed, and plunch is really talented! Altho for the level design only, we had assets from szadiart that are gorgeous, but the rest (bosses, characters, attacks and all concepts) were done by us. A good shield can provide up to 60% damage reduction and provide counter damages to bosses, so some people might use it, but I prefer dodging too :D
Thank you, really glad you enjoyed