Heya! Catching up the stream list - your asked for feedback about how I would make it clearer and a smoother experience! I think a lot to can go into from how we present information.
I think a big catch for helping the process is slowing how fast we get information and changing the angle of how we present the information to the player. Grouping the sidebar information into groups around the elements would let the player see what the actionable effects of each individual bar is. For example:
• Sun
Twigs -> Cherry trees
Charged Robot -> Rusted
I think it would be up to you if you want to have the player discover the element and keep that information forever, or if it only shows when the element is in play. One lets the player be overwhelmed with information they need to decipher whats useful in a growing way, the other is purely a support tool that leans more into helping players solve in the shortest moves!
I also think snaps on transparent backgrounds of the 3d models probably would have been faster and more accurate icons than the little doodles - I did have to spend a notable amount of time trying to decipher A from B!
The core game idea tho is great! I think you've made an awesome lil puzzle game that fits the theme and executed really well!