Hi Rakudajin,
I didn't participate in this jam, but I played some games that appeared on my timeline, including yours.
I don't think your graphics are bad, they are within what I expect for pixel art made during a jam, except for parts of the menu that are inconsistent with the rest of the interface (solid color, larger border than other elements).
If I had to guess a reason why you didn't get a better score for graphics in the jam, I would say that your game doesn't have many charismatic elements that draw attention. For example, a character that interacts with the player, an animated villain, etc. This is not necessary at all, but sometimes it can affect the perception that others have of how much "charisma" your game has, and I believe this can be confused with the artistic aspect.
But as you already mentioned, it's a matter of time to implement. We all know that when we do a jam, some things get left out. It's part of the fun 😅
Regarding the gameplay, I found it a bit slow, in the sense that it takes a while for the player to go through a complete loop. I only understood the logic of everything that was happening after about 5-10 minutes of playing. If you could make the first turns faster/shorter, I believe that would make it easier for new users. (Just an idea in case you want to continue developing the project).
Regarding the connection with Kafka's work, at first I just found it strange, and the reference went unnoticed.
Anyway, congratulations on the work, I hope to see more of your work in the future 👋