I'm glad you enjoyed our game! This was our first ever project, so there was no reuse whatsoever. All the art is handcrafted and was made during the jam, so I'm really happy you like it so much!
That little guy is indeed a reference to 'Over the garden wall', nicely spotted!
Also, thank you for the feedback on what would make the game better. The looping sound works in the desktop version, and that secret item (would have been a bow if we had more time) doesn't get you stuck.
Otherwise, I might add a counter and winstate in the future. Thank you for playing our game!