It is a problem. I have been intentionally not buying games that use AI assets. --But a lot of those games are low effort too. Like the dozens of AI pinball tables Zaccaria pinball has been spewing out over the last couple of months.
I can definitely see the effort put into your story and the gameplay and they really draw me in. I wish you didn't need art at all really, but though I personally have bought a number of interaction fiction games that have little or no art, I know most people expect that, and some of your minigames require art.
You seem to be quite good with photoshop. What do you think about starting with public domain pictures kind of like Four Last Things and The Procession to Calvary, which are very visually striking and fit the time period you're going for?