I didn't even really mean unique animations, but tiering the ones already present. For example, we really only see the facial view in the stomach acid for a fleeting moment. A shame to not see it more! With the animations already in the game, you could just have each play out at differing stages of health, which makes it so that 0% HP just plays the full thing with no escape. With the wolf for an example, the start would be her holding you. Next phase could be her starting to swallow you, leaving you dangling out of her maw and staying there. Third would be her swallowing you all the way. This would give people more time to see the whole animation pre-death and do away with the need for brand new animations. More animations are great, but why not just further highlight what already exists? I think adding more unique animations would be a task better suited for much later, as more enemy variety and actual level progress would better serve the game. I also find that new areas and enemies help prevent burnout since it keeps you moving forward. Not wanting people to button mash is a fantastic direction that I'm glad to see! Sometimes, you just want to keep playing.
That is a fantastic balance between the two, and one that appeals to both of my sensibilities. I love exploration and completing things like that, but I won't lie and pretend to be the biggest metroidvania fan either. Hitting a wall that would be more or less impassible for me (or more importantly, my patience) would lead to me looking for a full save just so I could get the gallery, at which point I'd likely never play again. Having the gallery as an optional unlock does make me more likely to actually go back later and get through whatever was blocking me before. In short, I think having that helps it appeal to a broader audience.
Thanks for taking the time to actually read, let alone respond to feedback. It's one thing to see a game have such an outstanding first launch, but it's another entirely to see such responsivity from its developer. I sincerely wish you the best of luck with your game and hope it can flourish. There are very few games like this one, and fewer still that have even a modicum of this game's quality. Best of luck!