Believe it or not, this comment is exactly why I decided to upload the game in its state as it is now here. I've been waiting for feedback like this for about 2 months now.
Thanks for writing this all up, and for the second pass. You were right about the hounds - one can start its charge while off-screen so the warning/windup plays out where you can't actually see it. That's a bug/or something that I hadn't noticed - and I'll get on fixing now.
The enemy-vs-ground colors are next on my list to check properly;
A stats/build screen is the second request I've had for it, so I'll move it up in priority;
And yes, Fire Rate does speed up the Elder Sign and the wording should say so.
I also agree on the cryptic text - the idea was to chase immersion, but I may have overdone it.
Overall this is very useful - thanks again. About your footage - I'd really like to see it if you'd be bothered to upload somewhere; an unlisted youtube link or any file host(google drive, whatever) works for me