Fair enough! Makes sense that escape remains a last-ditch attempt to not die rather than a reliable option. In hindsight, I can't recall any rogue-like game where avoiding combat all-together was ever a viable strategy. Most of the time you either get stuck in a situation where you MUST defeat the foe/foes in the area before moving on, or the game punishes you for doing escaping (like how retreating in Darkest Dungeon causes stress on all the party members). Thank you for the response!
Also, if you have the time, I'm curious if you drew inspiration from any particular game.