i sort of like the restrictive controls because it makes all your movements feel very intentional and almost kind of dramatic. even the tiniest hops have a satisfying weight to them, and when you leap over a barrel you really feel it in your bones. i always instinctively feel like shouting every time i do it, it's really funny.
there's not really much to complain about besides old game weirdness, like walking 2 ft off of a ledge only to die, or the sheer amount of barrels donkey kong can bury you in if you're not quick enough. for the time, i feel the difficulty curve is actually quite nice, and i like how distinct each level feels from one another in both gameplay and visuals; through which the game exudes a lot of it's charm
that being said, i feel the game gets a bit frustrating and repetitive after awhile due to how slow it can be on retries, and eventually i felt like i 'got the jist' so to speak after giving it a swing for awhile.
not bad, not amazing, but you do appreciate for the time frame it was made in.