Thanks tony! It's not actually turn based, but there are certain enemies who only start moving at you once you get within their range.
I've already increased the movement on each item considerably, so I think the game will feel a lot more smooth. We're still running with the "shoot to move" design choice, but that's definitely something we'll have to try to feel out.
As for knowing what items do - I actually have a stats page set up for each item but I haven't made it accessible yet, so that's coming soon :)
-dpodz