What an amazing and addictive game! The gameplay experience was really enjoyable. It's a shame about that time-related bug, but I completely understand that these things happen, especially with such a short development window.
I could easily spend hours playing, as the character progression makes the journey rewarding and keeps me wanting to grow stronger and take down even more enemies.
There are a few interesting points that you could consider for this game or even for future projects.
The enemy and player projectiles look very similar. At the start, this isnāt much of an issue since there arenāt many ranged enemies. However, as the levels progress, their numbers increase significantly, which can make dodging quite tricky. Maybe using a highly contrasting color, giving them a distinct silhouette, or even adding a more contrasting outline compared to the player's shots could help make these dangers easier to spot.
Regarding the map and overall atmosphere, I REALLY liked the aesthetic. It even reminded me of an old project of mine that had a similar concept (though unfortunately, I didnāt get far with it due to lack of experience at the time). A mini-map would be really useful for locating doors, perhaps even some objects naturally placed near them to guide players toward the exit without giving everything away too easily.
Another cool idea could be temporary power-ups within the map, like an item that, when activated, triggers a chain reaction, destroying enemies in a certain area, maybe a shockwave or even lasers? That would be really interesting to see.
Lastly, the game juice is already satisfying, but some extra touches, like particles when hitting enemies (for stronger visual damage feedback) or even persistent particles on the ground after an enemyās death, could make the experience even more immersive.
Of course, these are just suggestions that I think could improve the game significantly. Itās already far from being bad, quite the opposite! As I said at the beginning, your game is fantastic, addictive, and if not for that bug, Iād probably have spent well over 30 minutes playing.
Congrats on the project, and best of luck with the jam!