I see the potential of the battle system, but in its current state the game is not very playable.
Some improvement suggestions:
- Put the battle log in a scrollable panel so that the player can review what happened at their own pace and make the messages appear a lot faster. It's very tedious to wait a long time to get back into the action.
- Make it obvious when the game changes from free roaming to battle mode. A simple text on the top of the screen saying "In Battle" can suffice, but you could also add some sound effects, battle music and visual effects.
- Also make the actions panel appear as soon as you enter battle, with an option to move without attacking.
- Add a simple "game over" screen as well as a "victory" screen.
Keep up the good work! :)