Okay, I actually figured it out this time and wow! I enjoyed this so much. The extra mile of having all those different animations for where the opponent hits you made it really powerful, and the enemy AI was insanely good. Also the boss fight was absolutely sadistic and did NOT end the way I expected at all, but I honestly loved the twist.
Favorite game of strawberry jam 2024 so far, honestly. Well done!
Literally the only thing I would change is probably adding a level before the first one for dummies like me where the switch is on the ground so the player gets confirmation that it is indeed a switch. The jump challenge made me hit at it like 20 times and not understand that I was missing it.
Devilishly difficult, wonderfully deviant. Loved this.