Super in depth analysis, I respect it and appreciate your phrasing.
We are thrilled to see you enjoyed it so much. and yes, we struggled a lot with the effect rigid bodies had on movement :(
The character design definitely paid homage to hollow knight, while the level design, movement, environment and mechanic came from Jump King, Ori and the sandevistan from cyberpunk, respectively.
P.S. if you do get round to playing it again, we would love your feedback on any more potential improvements <3