Thanks for playing and the feedback.
The game was originally meant to be simpler and faster paced, but the story has grown on its own and become the focal point for us, with the game systems being developed to make a fun game around it.
We are reworking the combat to add more variety and strategy. There is going to be a hunger system added to add more to the choices of what you eat, along with additional affects. As RPG gamers we completely understand wanting to save all the items for when yo may need them later. Originally we weren't even sure if we would include a default attack ability. It is supposed to be weak enough to just be a fallback if you run out of items, but in the current version it is a bit too powerful, and you are unlikely to run out of items. A major change we are working on will be using the traders to send items back to your Clan for the main quest of collecting enough food for winter. This, of course, could encourage more saving of items, so we will be drastically redoing the base attack ability so you are instead encouraged to use the items and have more decision-making over which to save or use. Eating the items is also going to play into the special abilities more in the future as we do not like the current cooldown system.
Redoing the target and action icons is on my to-do list. I'll be sure to take another look at all the ones that have cooldowns as well, and see if I can improve the contrast.
Managing your inventory to select the loot you want is a key part of the intended strategy, so we tried to design it to have a lot of space to let you see as much as possible at a time, and with options for sorting and filtering. As the systems evolve it will certainly get an overhaul, but with the items playing such a key role, it will likely remain a bit overwhelming. The sorting and filtering will be more useful once we add shops and sending loot back to your Clan.
Glad you had fun! Your game is already in my queue, and I'll be playing in the next few days.