Thank you so much for taking the time to write such detailed feedback!
This was actually our first Game Jam, so reading comments like yours is incredibly valuable to us.
You're absolutely right about several points, especially the limited attack directions and the missing cooldown indicators. Looking back, those are things we should have communicated much better to the player.
The boss behavior you described was actually a bug, so thanks for pointing that out. We'll definitely look into it.
As for the story, we probably spent too much time setting up ideas that we didn't have enough time to fully explore before the deadline. That's something we'll keep in mind if we continue developing the game.
I'm really glad you enjoyed the attack animations and some of the narrative concepts. It means a lot to hear that you think the game has potential despite its flaws.
Thanks again for giving it such a thoughtful review. We learned a lot from it, and we hope to do better in our next jam!