Thanks for such an in-depth write up, I really appreciate you taking the time to play and comment.
Very glad to hear you found the movement felt right, that's something I was tweaking up until the deadline as I wanted to focus on the gameplay as a priority (I do think it could be smoother / less buggy, but that'll require more time to figure out).
It's certainly barebones in its current form and isn't going to set the world alight, but I'm hoping that it can be a foundation for a solid little project to continue learning with, and your comment will be a big help with that!