There’s no tutorial yet, as the game is still in its early stages. I’m planning to add one as soon as possible.
The Continue button isn’t supposed to appear after you lose, but for some reason, it does in the web player. Since the game is primarily being developed for Steam, getting the web version to work properly is a bit more complicated than I expected. I’ll try to fix that soon.
As for the negative effects, I’m still considering removing that mechanic. I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I’ll definitely add a better warning so players know what they’re getting into!
Regarding the starting items, I think it’s normal for them to become less useful as you progress. I was thinking of Slay the Spire, where the starting cards are pretty weak and you can gradually remove them from your deck. But maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way. The game definitely needs a lot more thought and balancing, especially when it comes to item design.
As for the relics, I’m thinking about making some of them work more like the Jokers in Balatro. Like you said, they could have synergies with our Gamblemons and items, which would make them much more interesting.
Seriously, thank you so much for all the feedback! The game already has a Steam page, but of course I can not get much useful feedback from it yet. Having people like you play the game and share your thoughts, helps me a lot and really motivates me to keep improving it. I really appreciate it!