itch.io

Finally got it on 9th attempt! 4 out of 8 deaths were on the final boss, because the EMP is very hard to read and understand when it's going to go off. The area also stops following in the final seconds, so it's even harder to get K8-LY inside. In the end I simply gathered as much HP as I could and stood right next to her, absorbing all her bullets :D Because of that I was really low on HP when it was time to shoot, and beat the game with only half a heart left.

I see others are saying that the dialogue is hard to read, but I'd say it's one of the most fun things about this game! I agree that not everyone will be able to read it, but after some time, when you get good at the game and can divert more of your attention from, you know, not dying, it's a really nice refresher to look at and read while you're fighting the same boss for the 5th time. Moreover, Em1-LY's comment about undercharging after dying due to time running out really helped me understand the mechanic of undercharge and overcharge. I couldn't really get it at first. I'd only say maybe keep all text on one side? Although I do think that different characters talking on different sides adds a nice stylistic touch.

Overall feels nice to play and I wouldn't say it's just a Binding of Isaac clone! The timer and undercharge/overcharge mechanics alone are pretty unique. For example, I used to run all rooms overcharged, but for the bosses I used one charge less to get more time (well, not in the later attempts). These mechanics definitely have potential! Maybe you could make them even more impactful by giving the player extra health if they undercharge, although that requires balancing because slow movement from undercharge definitely takes some fun away from the gameplay.

And for the art, it can be improved, yeah, but to me the animations (like dashing, talking and transitioning between levels) were more important than the sprites. I liked them. Good luck with 2.0!