Wow, you went through 3 game plays on "normal" animation speed? I feel for you.
Hey if it makes you feel any better, I didn't know you could hit the left/right arrow to get royal snakes or paladins early on.
The UI is generally good, but they need to do a few things. e.g. make it more obvious you can sell spells, highlight when new troops are available in different castles, easier/more obvious to see the defensive resistant ratings.