I 100 percent understand the feel. I tried really hard to maintain clean coding practices but the closer me and my partner got to finishing the game, the more creative liberties I took.
I think starting from the ground up would be VERY worth it as its clear to me after playing that your team is capable of making something compelling and polished in a reasonable time frame. I would HEAVILY consider exploring this game further!
Whether you do or don’t, I still very much enjoyed what is here. And once again, Nice job!