Gorgeous pixel art and good music! Some of the mechanics are a bit wonky, for example I did not see the purpose of the dash since it did not seem to have any invincibility frames. Also it took me a while to realize I had combo strings because the window for continuing the combo seems very restrictive. The hitstop upon striking an enemy was a little too excessive as well and may have contributed to the trouble with comboing. With these difficulties, it feels impossible to dodge enemy attacks and thus to get very far in the game. That said, it's a very good looking core! I hope you continue with this.