I feel like the introductory text runs automatically a little too fast, especially since this is our first introduction to this world and these characters. And some indicator of when the player is expected to interact to advance to the next screen in that introductory scene would be great! As well as some icon in the textboxes telling the player that they can advance dialogue if they do. There are a few grammatical and spelling errors in dialogue but that is minor. There is some antialiasing with the font in the menus which looks a bit off. 8 directional movement for player would have been nice as well. There are some awkward spots with collisions which I saw you got some comments on already. I got stuck between a green and red tree (to the right of the house with the bird) and could not continue the game I had to start over.
Great work on the art, it has fantastic direction and perfectly encapsulates the cozy theme. The mystery aspect is nice as it lends into the tropes of such while also maintaining that cozy feeling. The character animations and sprites are really charming, esp the penguin is my fav. I liked the dialogue. You say you wanted to make something to be proud of, PLEASE be proud of this! This is amazing! Kudos to you, well done!!! Can't wait to see what you do next