I definitely feel you on the not playtesting thing, I’ve only ever had people besides me playtest my games before release ONCE. And that was for my capstone project in uni. Especially for my games, and I imagine this one as well, so much time is spent just getting everything together there’s no time for testing or more changes until after release.
I think there is something to be said for avoiding being generic, especially in this jam. But I find the most important aspect of how much I enjoy an entry for SBIG, and jams in general, is if I’m feeling frustrated by a game. Regardless of if the game looks or sounds great, if I’m being annoyed by playing the game then I don’t enjoy it as much as a game with say stick figures but the game loop is quick and snappy.
But yeah more playtesting is always a good idea.