itch.io

Would you consider perhaps compromising? Instead of making it feature complete before balance, could you alternate between the two? Feature then balance, feature then balance. I promise you it will be much easier than trying to balance a very complex system. It will also help with perspective. As right now the beginning of the game is super option loaded. You've presented too many systems to the player that aren't even complete yet. You should design a tutorial. I think that would help you get perspective. Try to see your world as a new player would. 
I actually think your desperation theme is really good. I've seen a few games that make the player feel desperate, and it makes the game more engaging. But if it feels unfair, you will lose the player's interest. I like the example of the barnacle from Half-Life. Or the first Gumba in Mario Brothers. These enemies are so easy to outmaneuver, but they've likely killed an embarrassing number of players. If you make it so the player feels embarrassed about their failure, they're more likely to anticipate it in the future. 3 steps forward, 2 steps back.