Thank you so much for the feedback - every comment and suggestion helps me a ton.
The auto-battle is one option (I took the idea from a mobile board game theme), but turn-based combat is definitely another possibility.
The idea of combining resources and consumables is something I absolutely need to consider. Maybe I'll change the combination system to make it more flexible, allowing successful combinations with different results based on the base items. Making the mixing system more flexible should also reduce frustration (an observation I'll keep in mind - thanks for noticing).
The music is really good! It's part of a pack you can find here:
https://xdeviruchi.itch.io/16-bit-fantasy-adventure-music-pack
Thanks again.