WASD/IJKL and cardinal versus rotation: It might just be habit, I guess I would be more used to rotation, as in AD and JL is counter-clockwise/clockwise. It would also be fewer buttons. On a gamepad, having it cardinal makes more sense due to the sticks.
You are welcome, I hope to play it in future demo days. If you are still narrowing it down, it might make sense for you to more frequently get feedback - maybe post it frequently outside of demo day in agdg? And elsewhere?