Thank you for playing AGOT! As long as it was enjoyable in some way I consider it a success. Here are some quick replies to your comments:
-FF3 and FF4 were deliberate inspirations; I really enjoy working at like a 16 x 16 tile size and that era of console RPGs I'll always carry with me. I am still working on my playthrough of Franzen but it's a wonderful game ^^
-Ashleigh's name is less direct than the others, but you have the intended interpretation of its wordplay correct!
-The final boss's balancing was decided around not completing the treasure map and not defeating Guernica, so that's all groovy. There's no changes to the ending for finding all the levelups, so it's strictly up to the player if one wants to do so. If I fully polish AGOT, and there is a little more I'd like to do with it, I'd probably think of something to do with that.
-If you want to write a walkthrough for the game, I'd hardly mind! Depending on your format for it I could get the map images or contribute some notes, whatever would benefit the effort.
I appreciate ya making it to the end screen too, thank you so much again for giving it a go! :D