I would love to include this game in my collection. I wish it didn't impose its own controls, generically. In other words, it doesn't matter how generic a controller is - I can't choose my own layout. There's no way to disable the built-in joystick system.
I understand you have very specific needs when it comes to controllers. This is a Pico-8 game. As a dev I have no control over how the controller integration works. There is no point of posting this comment under every individual Pico-8 game. If you have issues with the way Pico-8 handles controllers, feel free to post suggestions in the Pico-8 forums on lexaloffle.com.