[Some edits for clarity because I accidentally said the opposite of what I meant in a place or two.]
We're going out of order on this one because I have some things to say and they will go better if I go out of the usual order. Please understand the following is meant primarily in jovial spirit. I TRULY believe the choice of controls was a mistake on your part, but I promise I'm not mad and I hope this doesn't come across condescending. But because it feels like the sort of thing that could have been entered in Oktrollberfest (that is a real jam lol), I feel OK rating it a little in that spirit.
This broke me.
Minimalist theming is an easy 5/5, because the aesthetics alone would have gotten you there. That means everything else INCLUDING a less drastic of your own phrasing, "very minimal amount of buttons", would have gotten you full marks on the theme already.
Execution is a 3.25/5 rounding up because I can't bring myself to round it down. And yes, you did get that .25 instead of the .5 for the reason you're thinking.
In case we're not on the same brainwave here, it's not because it's not mechanically solid but because the sheer audacity of this control scheme, per the above, was 100% a choice and not a thing that needed to be done to get the theming. It's because it IS so mechanically sound otherwise that I have to give this a four a not a three.
To be clear I had a lot more fun with it than I expected but unfortunately no matter how well-executed everything else is (AND IT IS), I don't think I can give a good execution mark to this on account of the controls. So even though it's well executed there's no way it's getting above a 4.
It is a choice I would rather not reward in any way, shape, or form, and would actively like to punish in the scores, but I can't get myself to do it. Others might. I can't.
Enjoyment is a 4/5 rounding up.
Sensory is a 5/5. Why that short loop isn't driving me mad I don't know.
SO AFTER ALL THAT I have some questions.
The first question is why as in "why would you do this."
The second question is why as in "why am I still playing this."
The third question is why as in "why does it work so well?"
Anyway here's the video: