Oh wow, thanks for the great review! I actually came into this with low hopes of it being enjoyable, as I couldn't finish it, so reading this definitely lifts my spirits. I was contemplating not submitting it, but I didn't want to disappoint the wife who spent so much time on the art XD.
Haha, oh no, you got so close. 2nd is still pretty good though, kudos! And very much appreciate acknowledging the UX effort, it definitely took a bit of time; I'm very happy it paid off :)
Really appreciate you bringing up the diagonal movement issue to me. I had no idea that was happening, so this is incredibly helpful to know for future projects. Also, really wanted to get some quick tutorial to explain the mechanics a bit, as I realize they weren't the most intuitive. That banner image was the next best thing I could do hahah.
Very thrilled you enjoyed the game as much as you did. Thanks so much for the kind words and the helpful feedback! :)