Thank you so much for both playing -- and for leaving such detailed feedback!
I've definitely been working on getting the overall balance (with the puzzles, the battles, and just between gameplay and narrative) to be more equal based on everyone's feedback because it is absolutely far too punishing at the moment. Ideally, the final version will have multiple levels of difficulty so players will have agency over which experience they'd prefer, since I've learned these sorts of puzzles are generally more disliked than enjoyed!
Thank you again for spending time with my game! I hope you'll be willing to try the full version, once it's completed (and much, much improved). :)