I think you did a really great job executing pretty much everything you mentioned in your original concept pitch. The UI, art, and music blend well and you have managed to create some very memorable gameplay experiences (the scissors *dun dun dun*). I like the power-ups you added and think the sword swinging is nice. I personally struggled to make the shielding mechanic consistently work for me but that could also just be my lack of playthroughs. Maybe if the first level was a bit more forgiving that would allow player more time to familiarize themselves with the mechanics. Since you have to get into melee range to attack it's easy to bump into demons and hit an instant loose state.