Thanks for the comments, everyone!
Yes, the game is too hard :D I think I ended up just playing it way too many times during development, and I adjusted the difficulty upwards as a result.
The graphics also make it hard (there is no contrast between things that matter and things that don't), but that was kind of a conscious choice, as I prioritized the dark, grim look over usability. I am definitely not going to claim that was a good idea, but I like how it looks. :D