Thanks very much for taking the extra effort to understand my game! I definitely agree with you about sound effects, that's what I'm currently working on implementing now, so look out for those in the next update to the game.
As I've mentioned in my reply to the comment below, I do think there's plenty of room for improvement in the area of guiding the player toward progress, especially when they first start out. Apart from making the game much more enjoyable, sound effects could add some much needed audio ques to make the game more understand.
Lastly, do you think you could elaborate on what's grindy? Was it just fighting enemies, or the game in general?