Starting a new thread for the .80 version.
Happy to report that all of the issues I had on last go-around are resolved.
I'm still not sure what caused the audio to fail before, but I'm glad it's working now because the music and sound design is exceptional. Some of the voices sound a bit strange with the various filters used, but it contributes to the "vibe" of the game (they're from other worlds, after all).
I got decently far this time and was able to see a ton of different area types, which seem to open up as you progress. Great variety with not every node being straight combat. The puzzles and encounters are very cool conceptually, and the reward system is interesting.
Once I got to Spells it also opened up a new layer of depth. There's a ton of stuff going on this this system for sure, and it is extremely addictive once you get into a groove. I had to pull myself away to hit some of the other jam games on my list but absolutely, 100% plan to return to this once there's no longer a time crunch.
I will say that it doesn't currently feel like all units are balanced, but I am also thinking that is intentional and meant to drive the player towards opening up more creation slots and such in order to customize their loadout. If so, then my only negative thought about that is you can sometimes roll a pretty bad party before you start unlocking upgrades. But, it's not like there's a big failure penalty, so it might be fine.
Overall, amazing work and very unique!