That's my first time hearing an input did not work.
You pressed buttons and it simply didn't dash? could you elaborate?
You only unlock dash after certain point in the game, and you can only dash again after hiting the ground or getting the dash renewal item. Other than that, it should work 100%.
The input scheme is the same as TUNIC for example, it should not be unconfortable. Based on feedback I already added WASD, but can only update it after the jam is over.