I really appreciate the feedback!
The goal is to get to the surface- and you're right that it's not clear what to do, or how the systems interact, I added some text to the description to hopefully clear that up a bit. Basically feed the characters and there's less fighting, so you have a easier time getting to the top.
So feeding the characters -> reduces conflict , which makes ascent to the surface easier . I think I left a blurb about this during transitions but those can be totally missed, heh