thanks a lot!
Yeah, we tried to make it feel very oppressive. Levels 1-2 are super easy, 3-4 are ok, 5 is very hard.
We also introduced a dynamic difficulty system: the madness bar is basically just a timer (mistakes also steal a few seconds), but it will slightly speed up or slow down to make the level harder/easier, depending on the player's speed. The intention is to make levels manageable for all skill levels, while also being perceived hard.
Art was a combination of a bunch of assets with our minor tweaks (to match the color palette and style) and a few AI-generated assets when our skills weren't enough.