This is such an elegant solution to the classic Famicom-era problem. I would always feel bored scrolling through the same scenes, only to fight the same helicopters, space aliens, etc. This game feels really fun. I can't wait to play more, honestly!
If you're interested in doing this kind of work for a living, I might recommend finding a publisher. They're supposedly more common than you would have thought. Coming from Bunny Buster... I saw some posts on Twitter... I have no idea how you Pico-8 folk have the kind of endurance that you have! And yet you guys make the most awesome games!