We are planning to have several difficulty options, including a "Story Mode" that is very easy. We have had others also suggest auto-distributing the loot as well. I've been thinking on it for a while and came up with a system that was pretty easy to implement in a couple hours, so have added it for the next version. It is off by default, but players who want to can enable it. The current approach will append all of the items from the Party Bag after the items from the Slime's Personal Bag, when selecting an item for use with an ability. This can result in the same item showing up twice if it is in both places. For now there is no separation between the items from different Bags, though we may add that later. This feels like a good quick fix solution for those who want to play that way, but we will see how people feel when they try it out.
We will continue to put the strategy as a core feature we want, and continue to refine it, but we also want to be accessible. After all, how players will enjoy the game is what matters to making a game that will sell. At some point we will try to add a system where players can setup some rules for auto-distributing the loot, but we want it to be player defined, or at least giving several options for how it can be done, and any options I see for that will be several days, or maybe a week or more, to implement.
We plan to make each Slime become more distinctive in part by their abilities. They will have some similar ones, like the basic Spit, but we want the others to have more variety. We are not planning as much difference in the shape of the art. They will likely each get some accessories or other defining traits, but the core shapes and animations will be the same for now. Part of that is simply the time needed to create so much art and the associated animations. Later on, as time permits, we will continue to review everything, and the player party will get more attention to make them stand out.
Thanks again. This kind of feedback helps a lot with seeing other viewpoints and accommodating a wider audience.