Great game! amazing art and combat, greatest part was the perks we get with each death which made me want to die at times just to get a another perk, I think most people didn't think much about the loop point of view because it felt a lot like any other side scrolling fighter where you kill to progress, if possible maybe can try adding a element to emphasize the loop more than the combat. An example would be maybe cause the glitch to reset an entire level if not killed within a certain amount of time. It was still a really enjoyable game though ! great job!