Hey thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Those are some great suggestions and I would definitely like to add them when I get around to expanding and updating it. There was a 20-minute playtime limit for this jam and I wanted to make sure they got to the ending. I do have some ideas for more creepy effects as you wander off-path, but for this jam I decided to railroad the path for now. Collecting items that could be used in battles is definitely a great idea!
Right now I'm working on a heavy project but I'll probably come back to this when I need a break.