Thank you very much for the feedback! I'm wondering what could have helped clarify the interface to you? Of all the reasons to lose players, I would hate confusing controls to be a reason. Totally okay that it's not your style game. Thinky deterministic puzzle games aren't for everyone any more than shooters or visual novels or horror games are.
For reference, this is what I currently show on the bottom of the interface, to help players understand the controls. It changes based on if you click/touch or if you type. Did you notice it? Did you feel it was confusing in its wording?
