Hey, thanks a lot for the detailed feedback! I really appreciate you taking the time to play the game and write all of this.
I actually hadn't seen Imago before, but after checking it out, it's really interesting that the ideas ended up being so similar
The issues you mentioned are really helpful too. The falling behind the scene was something I noticed, but I didn't have enough time to properly fix it before the deadline. I was actually already using linear velocity for the movement, but I think the issue comes from how I handled the player's movement limits.
The sliding was intentional because I didn't use a single fixed speed value, I used a maxSpeed/minSpeed approach where the player accelerates and slows down instead. However, I agree that the current implementation makes the movement feel a bit too slippery, so it's definitely something I'll improve in future projects.
I also really like the idea of adding more things for the spark to interact with, there are definitely a lot of ways the mechanic could be expanded.
Thanks again for the kind words and suggestions! This was my first game jam, so I'm really glad I could learn a lot from making it. Good luck with your future projects too!