I'm so glad the game worked for you as well as it did! Most of what you wrote is EXACTLY what I was going for, so I'm happy it all came across!
I think I'm going to post a devlog with a link to the testing version I currently have, along with a feedback form to give thoughts about the experience and how well I'm balancing the new mechanics before I actually put it up for sale anywhere. So keep an eye out for that if you want to check it out! ☺️