I finished the demo (beat the boss and found 1 secret room with health upgrade), and want to say really well done! A couple things I think would elevate it further (in order of importance imo):
- Spend more time polishing the feel of the sword attack. Look at Zelda 1 & 3, and copy what they do. Currently it feels sluggish and unsatisfying. It is the core of the game and should feel GREAT.
- NOTE: Because of this, I found that bombs were a better primary weapon, which I doubt is the intention. Since they explode on collision, they basically act as a stronger, faster sword.
- Save at least the last few screens of state. Backtracking is a chore due to needing to clear blocks and enemies over again. Again, just copy Zelda 1 :)
- Remove the 8 way movement on enemies. It makes them feel more random, and less predictable which makes them less fun to play. Lock them to 4 directions.
- I'm not 100% sure about this, but I would consider not giving items from blowing up blocks. Because bombs are free, blocks are abundant, and rooms reset, there is very little reason to fight enemies. You can get everything you need from blowing up blocks.
Again, nice work! I'm looking forward to seeing the full game!