Oh gosh, thanks so much for such a thoughtful commentary! I'm honestly just so touched I needed some time to say how much this all meant to me. :)
I'm also very, very glad that the different approach to combat felt right, since it was mostly a requirement of the plot being a typical RPG plot, but working backwards. Keeping things interesting was something I had to put a lot of effort in.
I wasn't quite satisfied with how the puzzles turned out, and if I did remake this game I would add more foreshadowing on them, but it's still good to know that they didn't feel entirely unfair. :)
And thank you for playing this! It's hard for someone like me to ask a stranger to take time out of their lives to see if my wild take on a genre of game will strike their fancy or not, so I'm very honored for every player I learn gave it a try. :) Reading this really made my day.