The idea isn't all that original, but the execution is so good! You made a fantastic little gem of a puzzle game that I'd love to get more out of. You made such a well-rounded product, I'm thoroughly impressed!
You actually did something very similar to one of the ideas I had for a game (not what we ended up doing)!
I really like the idea of a sort of "Tetris-Hand" for your attacks. There are some obvious things that need to be changed/fixed, but I get it. It's a game jam. That kinda stuff is inevitable.
Some of my notes were:
Spamming spells is the easiest way to go because both spells are just as likely to hit.
Spells last longer if you're moving more.
Lack of feedback on hits.
Overall still a fun thing and you managed to make a complete game so can't fault ya there!
I've made a platformer with custom-physics before so I understand how difficult they can actually be so I totally get why the controls are rough.
Here's a few things that I noticed that would really help the game (you might already know this too):
1. Your character's jump is so high and so far for the tiny platforms. The platforms should be slightly larger and spaced out more to accommodate this.
2. Your character's acceleration is instant which is really difficult to get a handle on. They move so fast and they get to moving so fast so quick.
3. Your character will sometimes get stuck running in place when you switch directions too fast after landing.
4. The character's speed in air is way too slow, there's barely any control over it. This makes it feel like the character is "slipping" off of platforms because the speed on the ground vastly outdistances the speed in air.
As for the Sanity mechanic, I wasn't really a fan of it. It's an interesting concept and I totally get how you got there, but it's just frustrating in practice. All you're doing is punishing the player unnecessarily. It adheres to theme, but I feel the point of the theme is to find fun mechanics that are interesting by taking away control rather than just taking away control to make the game less fun to play.
I still had a good time and I think it's great that you managed to do so much in such a short time.
Your visuals are incredible and you put in so much effort in so many areas that weren't necessary. I can really see your passion for games.
I love the pixel explosions! They're so my aesthetic. Shoot to move is kind of a meme so i wasn't really surprised by the mechanic. Definitely wish there was more to it than that but you implemented it really well.
Your game is very cohesive.
Add some twin-stick shooter controls (i think the mouse aim is unnecessarily frustrating) and you've got a game i could spend a good long afternoon on.
Solid game! The twist is fun, but I actually enjoyed the idea of a game more like the first part than the second.
You did a great job on getting everything together though and your main mechanic was well crafted. I don't think the gravity switch is all that original, but my game wasn't either so still props!
