I had some issues initially with the controls, using the mouse to rotate and all. But when I got used to it, wow, this game got FUN.
While I think dying in two hits makes it tough, it seems like it's the whole point of the game, to learn how to fight properly so you get hit as rarely as possible while slashing through the enemies. And in my opinion it worked really well: After figuring out the controls, every death felt like a mistake on my end, which motivated me to keep pushing. And well, you did mention that it is a hard game hehe.
The combat mechanics were incredibly safisfying, you nailed it in this regard. I loved how the different enemies required different strategies (like blocking the attack of the axe wielder before going crazy)
Great job on this one, had lots of fun, I got through all levels.