I think there should be checkpoints. You can also add animations to the main characters since it's just two moving images. But other than that, this game definitely looks fun to play with a friend. (can't get someone to play with me ;w;)
This game is a submission to Mini Jam 53, in which the limitation was that there should be no checkpoints, and any "death" state is final. If I expand on this in the future, I will probably make all oasis checkpoints, but I want it to remain a bit frustrating otherwise it's too easy ;)
You're right about animations, I also wanted to do death animations but ran out of time. Thank you very much for your comments!