Thank you graciously for your detailed comment and feedback.
The game is inspired by and replicates gameplay mechanics/progression from a game series that is notorious for being punishing and obscure and I realize this can feel a touch overwhelming for new and unfamiliar players.
The game is meant to be played organically and like in the old days where guides/handholding were at a minimum and the player must feel their way blind and usually fail a lot and make small progresses at a time to overcome difficult challenges. That said, you've done a good job figuring out that a lot of things can be examined for extra loot; sussing out different enemies have different triggers depending on your behaviour whilst exploring etc.
As for the story I prefer to drip feed lore to the player slowly since story writing is my Achilles heel. The game is not finished yet but I do plan to bring the plot together in a cohesive manner that is understandable to the player by game's end. I'm happy you like the NPCs I put a lot of thought into giving them all differing styles of speech and personalities.
Thank you for the compliment about the character. I made her myself and although it was fun it was a lot of work so it brings me joy that she has been well received. Thanks for playing my game, I do plan on making an update before the jam concludes. I also do plan on getting to every other submission and will play yours although I don't know when. I use RPG Maker's random variable to decide which game I play next!