itch.io

So I have an issue with the response time, it feels like you always have to anticipate the beat oppose to being on beat. The sword clinks have some natural resonance to them that make the note sound a little longer than the input window actually allows.  Make the input window a little more lenient to compensate for that. I would also put more drag to the sword animations to show the anticipation for people more visually incline for rhythm cues. They basically are neutral then crossed, there is no wind up.

The player is likely to feel the sword clash rhythm tracker in 4/4,but they still need to be taught that. The sword cue and gameplay starts at as soon as you hit space, at the very first measure. You should let start at the 3rd or 4th,  Have the character step on screen in rhythm during the first two measures with a space bar icon above teaching them the rhythm. Then let the player control start at the 3rd measure. I would also use a hopping sound or the Minotaur's footsteps as the rhythm tracker over the swords. Give an option to skip that that small tutorial bit at anytime and  jump to a  1-2-3-GO notification and beep counter for people doing retries.

Put a more exact timing for the statue breaks. I managed to break them 3 ways: 

1) quickly mashing space twice (often losing rhythm but would always successfully break them and worked out best if I had a lot of distance)

2) Doing a double quarter note keeping rhythm but losing a hop. (Natural feeling but was the worst option)

3) Hopping up to it and doing two 1/8th taps. (this felt good rhythm-wise but didn't give a consistent result. I would sometimes get the break and not a hop afterwards)

I think you should put a time signaler above the gargoyle statues on the hop up to them to teach the timing you want the player to actually use.

Visually and audible on point. I do think the controls are a bit too slippery and maybe due to coming off that Celeste episode of GMKT, there is a few times where I said "I wish I had a ledge grab." because I was clearing jumps but not above the ledge fully? Like the tip of the body will below the ledge and I would suffer for it. 

The time warp after every failed attempt is redundant to be honest, it would much more interesting to have you simply progress normally once you get a unique response. There isn't much guidance by way of you little bit of background info for the antagonist to go on what would actually progress the game.

I haven't tried it yet, but just visually it gives off a grid based RPG feel, that of Megaman Battle Network or (one I actually like) Radiant Historia. While that doesn't naturally mean it plays like them, but the mere inclusion of a grid for attack and movement invites the comparison.

Update: Played it and it feels very much like a small floor in a roguelike. The fact that slimes will always move regardless of whether you choose and how quickly can be manipulated by your tempo of movement is very reminiscent of Crypt of the Necrodancer. 
You actually do have something I would consider playing here. I really like it when battle systems make the player more active and less prone to sitting in menus thinking.  I can imagine without the restraints of the jam requirement a battle system where you have say equipment assigned to 2 buttons that act as lures to make the enemy of the corresponding color move in alignment with you, and you can line enemies up into arrangement that would do extra damage to them all or cause certain effects, etc. All still within the what I don't think you intended, but apparent for me- musical borders of movement. While on the surface the alignments would be the star skill for mastering combat, but in actuality the player is learning to play an instrument where the rhythm is more important than the notation.

Same issue here.