now i know what im about to ask for is basically impossible but, a playable tutorial at the start of this game would go a long way. i found myself ignoring most of the mechanics at the early phase of the game as i could easily weave through the enemies, and i didnt fully understand why they were turning purple sometimes (figured it was just an animation). it was only once things starting getting more complex that i actually started to make connections with how the direction i was facing would work. i ended up lasting for basically forever since i only stopped because i had seen the full difficulty ramp up. this would do a bit better imo if there was less health to fall back on.
to be completely honest this seems to only fit the theme by letter rather than spirit, as the leading mechanics have to do with taking damage to get ammo and changing your direction to block hits. sure theres only one ammo but the game wouldnt be fundamentally different if you could store three bombs. and the fact that theres only one screen isnt really a subversion with these kinds of asteroids-esque games. its a cool idea, obviously not expecting the full polish on it, giving it a 5 on originality and 2 on theme adherence.