This feels like it's just on the edge of being a really fun little game, but the sheer randomness in the early stages and the way in which losing health so drastically impacts your ability to deal with enemies drags it down. The obscurity of some mechanics is also a problem- I understand that it's a deliberate choice, and I think in some cases it works. Learning what the doctor does to your crewmates, or what each of the divine offerings actually provides, is a fun way to improve mastery of the game. Similarly, the very obscure elements- the puzzle of figuring out how to deal with the extremely dangerous late-game angel/devil enemies is a neat, out of context challenge. But a lot of this obscurity is just painful to deal with- for instance, it's possible to lose the spelling game repeatedly while spelling valid english words, because there's no clear indication that what's needed is three three letter words. Some clarity on that point- maybe in the form of three marks on the ship lighting up as valid words are formed, or a suggestion via dialogue, would make it much less frustrating.
I also think that the sheer necessity of crewmates and the total randomness of whether you acquire any in the first few fights is also problematic. Perhaps a free crewmate could be added to the very beginning of the game, or have one be guaranteed in the first 2-3 events. Further, some crewmates become extremely frustrating to face, in particular the one which boosts dice which drop to two pips- without control over where your shots go, and given the high variability of damage even with a few extra rerolls, it feels entirely up to chance whether your opponent will take damage or heal every time you attack them. It might be beneficial to make the combat mechanics asymmetrical, and allow the player to place their own shots in addition to their opponents.
I don't want this to come off entirely negative- for all these issues I had, I kept playing through moments of frustration because the game has a lot of charm and some really good bones. Cheers!