A fun start to the story! I think you've nailed the aesthetics and are on your way to getting the feel right. Here are my notes
- Dash jump is always a good option, I like it!
- Only grabbing ledges when facing them took a bit of getting used to.
- Special weapons seemed balanced well for the demo.
- Not being able to fire while running backwards is a fair choice, though it did feel limiting.
- It wasn't clear that the run speed bonus disabled the dash, which made the boss a bit more frustrating but still manageable.
- The companion was cute and a good choice.
- The difficulty could be increased by having enemies (esp. the boss) do additional damage.
- The sound balancing was a bit jarring, mostly the pickups and shots. Having the volume controls in percentage instead of increments could help with this!
- I will hope that the skates make an appearance in the game, or something similar (improved dashing with less cooldown or the like)
Overall, I would happily pay for a full version at this point as I can see a lot of potential, and you have a great sense for the feel that you're going for. Thank you for sharing your efforts, and I look forward to what you share next! 💜