Hey qwFaTE, the controls are this way because the game is designed so that we don't see what's behind. Rotation also progresses time by 0.2 of regular movement so it adds a little extra choice, spend half a turn to see what's behind or start running. In most roguelikes, you have 360 vision so the Numpad movement makes more sense. Rotation and limited vision is an important part of Soulash since the very beginning, and I don't plan to change that.
I think I can add an alternative for A and D keys to behave differently in the options though, so I'll add it to the list. Thanks for the suggestion!