oh man you're the FIRST person to mention the system I based it on! Yes, the system is too complex for the time you get at the start. I had a vision for the game applying pressure at the start, but ultimately that was the wrong I think. In v2.0 which will be live post jam there is a menu pause and enemies don't spawn until you have at least one critter.
Thanks for playing, the FFXII callout has made my weekend haha