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Thank you for taking the time to write all of that!

I’m currently working through all of the issues you mentioned. A lot of them are already on my list, and I’ve got solutions planned and some already in progress (no spoilers). I’m not releasing the next version until these problems are properly addressed and the game feels both visually appealing and mechanically satisfying.

A few specific things you brought up:

How to Play being too complicated
That's totally fair. That screen is actually just a placeholder for the real tutorial. I plan to replace it with an actual mini round with actual gameplay scenarios.
The reason I haven’t built the full tutorial yet is because I’m still adding and changing core features. Updating a tutorial every time a mechanic changes would be a nightmare but once the systems are more stable, I’ll build a proper, player-friendly intro.

Starting in the shop
This is actually intentional. I want players to experience that early risk/reward moment, there’s a chance to find a really strong card that can shape the whole run. It also supports certain playstyles, like the merchant-style build, where you start with weak cards but extra money to invest in that first shop. I haven’t personally seen many games do this, and I think it can become a pretty unique and strategic part of the game once it’s more polished.

Progression loop & running out of cards
Both of these issues mostly come from the same thing right now: lack of content. I don’t want “more cards” to just mean copies of the same tower I want each build to have truly different towers and playstyles.
The demo is intentionally hard and kind of falls apart after a few rounds because I didn’t want players repeating the same enemies, buildings, and biome over and over with limited variety. That’s temporary. My focus right now is finishing the core mechanics first, then expanding content in a meaningful way. This demo is more of a proof of concept than a full gameplay loop.

Art & visuals
This is honestly the hardest part for me. I’ve tried my best, but I’m not an artist, and effort alone won’t magically fix that. The visuals will need a major overhaul: cards, buildings, and overall style.
I’ll be leaning a lot more on references, community feedback, and outside help to make the game look as good as it deserves.

I’m working through all of this, and I’m not planning to push the next version until the game feels much better both visually and mechanically. Feedback like yours is exactly why I released an early demo I know I don’t have the experience to spot every issue on my own, so this helps a ton. Thanks again!