Thanks for the comment and for playing the demo! Unfortunately, there's no perfect way for me to introduce the basics without being intrusive with tutorials or message tips—hence the optional tutorial. Like any other complex tactics game, it has a learning curve, and I’m afraid that will always lead to some initial hiccups, no matter the approach I choose.
In your case, it was the travel/combat modes. For other players, it's been different things—each person experiences something different depending on which mechanics they pursue or what expectations they bring from other games that play differently from Archrebel. Let me know if you have any suggestions! You can also check out my Discord server, accessible via the game’s main title screen.
Cheers!