Oh, as I just said to someone else in the comments, there is a certain bug when you pick up the item on the very first cell of the arena. I didn't have time to fix it, and I guess it's related somehow to an infinite while cycle. Most people never faced this problem, but seems it's not the case for everybody... Sorry for that, but I will fix it without a doubt. Hopefully, it didn't ruin the experience for you too much.
I will experiment with different controls and ideas, including the slow-mo effect. Your suggestions is one of them, so I'm thankful you thought the same way.
I highly appreciate that you shared your opinion, suggestions, and even reported this bug! All of that will help me to improve the game, thanks ;)