Sorcery indeed! I used low res renders from 3D models to build the sprites and animations. It's essentially the way old games like Donkey Kong Country and Abe's Odyssey made their graphics. It's a cheap way to get animations and it even was appropriate for the GameBoy as some games used the technique.
And yes, I wanted to ensure that the highest score was only achieved of the player never died. A better way would have been up reward them for a wave without deaths instead. It's noted and will be in the second release after the jam ends!