Thank you, this is genuinely useful feedback.
You are right about the sign-in wall. I am changing the flow so players can start The Garden in offline mode first, learn the game, and only see the login/account prompt at the end of the tutorial. That prompt will also explain why logging in matters: persistence, account linking, and future World Key connections. If someone stays offline, that save will remain local and will not carry into the online/shared World Key layer later.
I am also expanding the tutorial opening so it explains what The World Beneath is, what The Garden is, and why this first release exists: it is the first playable World Key and a proof that I can close a playable loop while continuing development on the larger shared world.
The tutorial pacing and XP pacing are being reviewed too. I will say the pacing being slower is intentional. As these are intended to feed into an economy of a larger game. I do believe however this needs to be made more clear up front as to why. The first build clearly put too much friction up front and not enough context before asking for trust.
I appreciate the rating and the direct notes. I will check out Dualspace as well and rate it honestly after playing. I do not want to turn reviews into a trade, but I am happy to support other indie developers properly.