"Paywall Eden is a jam about making in-game purchases actually fun, clever, or surprising — without ruining the player experience"
You're blocking core game mechanics behind a paywall. That's nothing more than shit design whilst being disrespectful to the players time as it is.
I've played six games already. It's really interesting how the payment mechanics work to redefine the gameplay. What is implemented (or almost) in https://itch.io/jam/paywall-eden-playgama-xsolla/rate/3621320. Unfortunately, you're right, and I haven't found a good game idea to implement it. I think the same as you do "Paywall Eden is a jam about making in-game purchases actually fun, clever, or surprising — without ruining the player experience". But as far as I understand, the themes presented leave a back door for my implementation too. Invest to save time.