I played the game for a while, and here are some thoughts:
Backgrounds and platforms: The backgrounds sometimes blend in with the platforms a bit too much, making it harder to distinguish what is part of the environment and what you can actually stand on.
Fun little details: The death animation genuinely made me laugh! I also loved discovering that you can jump onto the wheel with the squirrel inside and ride along with it. That was a fun little surprise.
Boss fights(
I’m talking about those guardian beetles in the boiler room that appear after you light a candle) and unclear mechanics: During the first boss fight, I instinctively tried to attack the boss from above, since that's where the opening appeared. Unfortunately, that only ended up hurting me.
After defeating the boss, two more beetles dropped from above so quickly that they took away my remaining 1 HP before I had any real chance to react.
On my next attempt, I managed to defeat all three beetles, but when the next enemy appeared, I died almost instantly, even though I was standing some distance away. I couldn't figure out what had killed me.
On a later attempt, I finally noticed the black shockwaves coming from the slug(?) and realized they were probably responsible, but I still lost.
After four attempts, I still couldn't defeat the slug. I thought I had figured out how to attack it by building up speed and dashing into it when he opened, but for some reason, my attacks didn't seem to deal any damage. I'm still not sure what I was doing wrong.
Overall, I think the boss fights could benefit from clearer visual feedback about attack patterns, hitboxes, and when enemies are vulnerable. Some deaths felt a bit unfair simply because I couldn't understand what had happened.
Visual style and presentation: I really liked the overall art style! The branching, stylized menu is also a nice touch and gives the game some personality.
Music: I definitely felt that the game was missing some light background music, or perhaps something more energetic in the style of Jazz Jackrabbit. I think it would complement the visuals and gameplay really well.
If the game were available on Steam, I might actually buy it to try playing it together with my wife when I'm on vacation.
Overall, I enjoyed the game's style, humor, and little interactive surprises. The biggest issue for me was understanding the boss mechanics and why certain attacks or deaths happened. With clearer feedback and some background music, I think the experience could be much more enjoyable!