Thanks so much for the kind words! I spent a long time on the music especially so I'm glad the effect seemed to get through, and that you enjoyed the concept.
You're right, it takes some investigation to figure out what to do... I added that tutorial and even removed a bunch of fluff that was muddying the experience but I would try for an even more cohesive experience if I had the time. I'm really happy that you went through the trouble of learning the game despite the confusion though, I really put a lot of love into this one!
Reviewing the tutorial messages is a good idea... For now I'll leave a screenshot of all the messages in case it's helpful to someone in the future:
Also to address your other confusions:
- When you fish off the edge, it's always a random item based on the theme you are in (space, nature, desert, lava, fantasy, tech, or void) and the type of fishing rod you are holding. The panel you stand on doesn't matter (although that would have been a good idea maybe) but the panels and other objects close to you determine the theme. The chances of fishing up an item based on theme and rod is hinted at by the items floating in the background, although sometimes the items you see are from a theme you WERE in moments ago that are still hanging out. There is no reaching out certain distances or skill factor or anything, just pick a spot and start pulling the slot machine.
- The pets were a bit of an afterthought (shout-out to nicoleperson for all of the art for the pets though!), they eat fish and find tiles for you and not much else. Fish are found using one of the four kinds of fishing rods you can randomly find. If a pet is standing on a fish, it will eat it automatically after a while.