Things like the music, I didn't put much thought into how they sound or feel, because I'm so used to how the defaults are (which is what it originally was set to). A lot of things in my project are still going off the default template values or settings, I've been slowly adjusting those as I either get to them, or as a result of feedback like yours.
The road actually does have a lower spawn rate of monsters (The road itself is a 6% chance per step, while the field is a 10% base chance, which lowers the more enemies you fight while on that map, to a minimum of 6%). Spawn rates I've adjusted up/down since I've started the project, and I may end up lowering them slightly again. Although one thing which I definitely am going to do (once I figure out how to), is to have a delay between random battles (right now you can literally take 1 step and have back to back battles, I've had as many as 3 back to back to back from testing). I think putting in this small delay will give the intended effect of a slightly lower spawn rate.
The Long Sword is purchasable at the weapon shop. :) (The Leather Shield is purchasable at the armor shop, but it's easier to find it) The shops are labeled with icons denoting their purpose (Rainbow Town has a weapon, armor, and item shop).
I've thought about making movement the 4 cardinal directions only, instead of allowing for diagonal movement. I'm sure it's possible for me to make it so movement is only on tiles directly, as well (though I'm not sure how to script this yet). These are both possibilities to make movement simpler/more streamlined.