This is a cool idea for a game, and I'm impressed that you said it's your first time implementing an upgrade system as it seems like there is a ton of upgrades and content to see!
I appreciate the boost option from the main menu because the upgrades were quite slow to unlock (or maybe I am terrible), so I never would have been able to see much of the content naturally. Similarly the music is fun but can get a bit grating after a while (maybe the loop is a bit short) so the option to disable it is nice QoL -- though of course it's not ideal to have no music playing, I guess
Some way to speed up the expedition would be nice, if there isn't one that I missed. Especially in the very early game I was often placing my paths and then just watching for a full minute or so each time, maybe there could even be some kind of reward for being quick to place all your paths and then you can watch them run through at 3x speed or something once you've done that? I dunno
Looks like you put a lot of care into this, with the intricate upgrade system and even the YouTube video explaining how to play. I think it's a cool idea that definitely has some room to keep growing!
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Regarding the upgrade tree, yes, I usually make games where you get items by defeating enemies and can use them immediately. In other game genres, the upgrade tree requires a lot of thought and careful consideration, unlike incremental games.
The boost option is just a bonus because I didn't have time to properly balance the upgrades (not enough time to test). I apologize for this. The same goes for the music (using old songs I had saved).
Most importantly, thank you for the suggestions. I will try to balance the upgrades better and make the gameplay faster.
(I've now added A* pathfinding. The heroes look much more lifelike.)