i appreciate the feedback so much! it's very constructive and helpful :D
i'm glad that my criticism for myself actually aligns with what you said a lot. the UI was not very good and i hope to improve that next game i make. what you said does perfectly encapsulate this need and i agree with what you said on it being confusing. your solution also makes a lot of sense, i didn't really think of that! i'll add the controls to the description of the game so people know what they are, as you said.
you're right about the collision of the flamingo. it's VERY precise to the sprite down to the pixel, i didn't know this was bad. thanks for telling me! i'll try to adjust it more based off my intended difficulty for now on. such as if its intended to be easier ill make the hitbox quite forgiving.
i think i could've made the modifiers more clear and gave more incentive to not restart. such as potentially making you slower or something if you die too soon. or a progression system with actual upgrades.
once again, thanks for the feedback! i really appreciate it as this is my first ever game jam, i will try to apply these concepts to other games i make.