Wow, you really hit on everything I liked about the game I made. Thank you for playing and for the thoughtful feedback. I wasn't sure how tense the combat was going to be but it seemed to work out. Some maps were a lot easier than others power-wise. As for smashing the crystal I agree - that monster was not something that the party could reasonably fight so having it "get banished" seemed like the way to go.
I'm very happy you liked it.