Thanks! More variety would have been too much for the scope of this jam if I wanted to keep the game as bug free as possible, reasonably short, and not too hard/complex for a jam game. Speaking of length you don't have to explore every solar system. If you mostly jump as far left as possible, the game can be completed in under ten minutes.
I totally understand seeing all the solar systems can feel overwhelming. To show players that they are actually making progress (towards the left of the screen), I added big semi transparent circles that make the background darker and darker the closer your are to the end.
You only shoot during the final fight, it's a last minute gameplay twist, as I wanted to focus more on exploration and choices than on fights. For the travel sequences, I felt that shooting asteroids in space at a short range is not a very safe thing to do, as is shooting the other friendly ships that just happen to be moving in the opposite direction. But more seriously I wanted to keep them short and simple. The next versions of the game will feature an entirely different fighting system, random events, relics, and incentives for replayability.
Thanks for playing and for your valuable input, I'm glad you still enjoyed it!