Thank you so much for this incredibly detailed and thoughtful review!! it honestly means a lot that you picked up on so many of the intentional design decisions! The pitch mechanic on the vine was something we were really proud of, so it's awesome that it registered. And the level design around teaching mechanics safely before ramping up difficulty was very much deliberate, glad it came through!
The Drawn to Life comparison is such a cool observation, honestly hadn't thought of it but it makes a lot of sense!
About the wind bug, you're actually right that something weird happens visually! The pollen bar changes color as if it's draining faster, but the actual pollen drain isn't affected. It's a visual feedback bug we noticed after submission and will fix in a post-jam update.
Really loved your entry too, incredible work for a jam. Congrats to you as well!! :D