i liked the idea of having to attack the enemies directionally. the effects animations and sounds were excellent. the intro art was also top notch. i didn't go off the top or left for a long time and just kept dodging the energy beams and was confused. eventually, started walking off the bottom edge and then would kill the 2 enemies that spawned over over and. and each time i walked off, my health would also regenerate. i'm not sure if something was bugged or not. i never met a boss or anything.

one other note: the main menu font was not very readable, while the in-game menu font was good. also a mish mash of different art styles, palettes, and UI was funny, but not great. but it's a jam game, so i get it.

First of all, the intro graphics and music are gorgeous. And this brings us some expectation for the rest of the game. Then we play with tiny characters in pixelart. There are cute, but it contrasts too much with the promises(in my opinion). You have talented artists: make big sprites. Your game was meant for. You could have done something looking like "street of rage" view, for example.
I understood how to beat guards, but not immediately that I must continue to the right.
Otherwise combat system is good, and could be even better with some combo chaining that make us feel strong. Keep it up.