CAUTION: SPOILERS BELOW

Summary: 
A scavenger hunt platformer, where the player begins very restricted 

My Experience:
After spending a good 30 seconds not understanding how to close the note at the beginning and feeling like an idiot when I just moved past it, I found myself mostly annoyed at the incredibly slow movement. This is by far the weakest part of the game, largely alleviated throughout by constantly jumping to speed up (even when hogtied). Beyond that, the gameplay worked nicely, with the "hopping" stage of movement being a little clunky to judge how much you need to go- but sort of understandably so - and I just adore key hunts generally. The pixel art, particularly on the player character, is quite incredible for the time, and the fluid escaping motions are entertaining to watch for the sake of it, so it's a shame there's some distracting background clipping issues. Each stage of freedom looks and feels different in a way that comes together incredibly well, and as a play on old school platforming tropes of key retrieval/powering up, it fits excellently. Overall, I found myself not wanting it to end and to have another level, which is always a good sign!

Theme Fit:
The theming of the jam comes through strong, with strong contrasts between being more or less bound, and palpable relief as you get items off. As it stands, that part is, I think, perfect; the only minor quibble I have on theme really is that having arrows shoot the player seemed a bit odd, maybe better replaced with a sleeping dart that moves you back to the start or something the reties you, instead of getting "killed".

What Could Be Improved:

• Movement: There is always a trade-off between the experience of being restrained in a game and being able to play a game well, and inching across the screen is definitely a bit too far towards restrained for my tastes. For me, a platformer lives and dies on movement, and the hogtied stage is just a too slow to be enjoyable (though it does pick up after). Perhaps if the hogtied section was shorter, or you got put back into it for brief periods it would be okay, but I wish it wasn't so slow here.
• Being restrained more and less throughout: This is less of a flaw and more just something I would love; the bound sprite design and escape animations are so beautifully done that it's a shame to see them so little. Being retied or similar could bring back some of the fun.
• Level hazards: As per the theme fit section, having crossbows shoot you is quite odd and although it adds some needed challenge, it feels strange. Likewise with conveyor belts in a medieval castle, which don't quite fit in terms of appearance and might be better with different appearances. A very small complaint, but could be some nice polish if you want to take it further in the future.

A nice touch with the keys giving new abilities, aside from minor background image issues was enjoyable. Would love to see how it develops if given more time, definitely someone to look out for in the future should they continue.