Thanks for giving it a try and for the feedback! It's great to hear you like the pixel art.
I understand your point about the game being hard to pick up, and you're right, it doesn't behave like a typical auto battler. I've been working on making the decision-making process more interesting. The last patch introduced a new system for unit upgrades that you can choose yourself, which is the first step toward adding more meaningful decisions. In the future, I plan to add passive perks and active skills to units to give the game more depth.
You're right that a lack of clarity is a major issue, and my next updates will focus on making the game more comprehensive and easier to understand.
Your observation about the combat is interesting. The core idea has always been to have a manual battler rather than an auto battler. However, the idea of a separate mode where both armies are AI-controlled is a great suggestion. I might explore that in the future. Thanks for the idea!