Hey, so I just found this game today and thought it was really cool (and difficult!). I reached up to about the first dungeon and I'm currently trying/struggling to make it through the section right after the lizard tunnel next to the triple bug room. I've struggled a lot.... but I'm enjoying it. I wasn't quite sure if I was supposed to enter the first dungeon with the gear I had because it's really difficult with the limited resources but I'm finding ways to get by.
Throughout the gameplay I found some issues that put me a little off. If you somehow manage to defeat an enemy at the same time as they are grappling/grabbing you the game soft locks and doesn't let you move forcing you to reload the save (as far as I know). This was pretty annoying when it would happen after a long stretch of progress without a save point. I found the vine trap enemies almost impossible to break free of. I've experienced a lot of enemies permanently grabbing you but the vine trap enemies seem to be the worst. Maybe it's me not learning how to deal with them yet? I still technically haven't found a means of defeating them yet (aside from getting a dragon to collaterally damage it with fireballs which I don't recommend) but I'm assuming it has something to do with an item I don't have yet. I found avoiding them completely to be the best measure but on the off chance there was one that I was forced to confront it was a pain to deal with. In the thorny room I opted for just dashing through the thorns because of all the basilisks.
On that note I think it would be useful to include multiple difficulty levels with one giving more Invulnerability frames after getting grabbed and other tweaks. I wouldn't want you to change the difficulty of the game if it's intended to be that way but from reading comments it seems you want to make it accessible where you can. I think this is a good way of keeping the game accessible but also keeping the original challenge as an option. Also a lot of the mechanics were completely trial and error for me so this would allow players to learn the game in an easier environment before trying the harder difficulty.
Other than that If there was one thing I would add it would be the ability to enter prone without sliding to save SP. After I discovered how useful it was I found myself ambushing enemies more often to make it easier for myself. I would also use it to rush/sneak past basilisks and the dragons because they are too tanky to deal with. Only issue is you have to slide before entering it and it can get pretty awkward depending on the situation.
Overall though the game is really cool and I'm excited for the finished product! I came for the sauce and I stayed for the plot.