I think you could've benefited from a few playtesters; the knowledge they give is very valuable. sometimes while working on a game, you get so used to it that you didn't realize some problems a normal person would see. yours was a prime example, you got so good at the game that you accidentally made it too hard. I can't express how important playtesting is. even got my brother last minute to playtest my game and I immediately noticed some problems while he played and I fixed them instantly before I submitted my game
edit: art doesn't really matter in the end of the day. good art draws people in while good gameplay makes people stay. so don't worry about the art looking like garbage