In a tough find suddenly having to eat ingredients instead of meals oftentimes is a death sentence.
having to hold up with your left thumb freezes you in place, then you have to cycle through your items with right thumb, so you can’t even dodge…
I hate to say it, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel here:
from soft games have an appropriate system.
if you want to cycle through your items, you just tap up once and then you’re able to move again.
There is no built in hold delay, no searching and you only need your thumb for half a second, or even less. the current system of NRFTW paralyses you for 3 sth seconds. and in a tough fight, that’s a death sentence…
and the same is true for potions of course…
I know that this requires a total shift in input layout, but that would be part of a very much needed overhaul in general…