Plus, items in you inventory flash when you pass them over another item onscreen that they can combine with, minimizing the "randomly click on things with items in your inventory" play style that many other graphic adventures inevitably force you into.
Actually, the thing that is most often the focus is the "current account balance", which means trade in goods and services plus some financial items, including remittances that migrant workers send home.
At least we have a shield to help us, which visually breaks and re-forms like a sheet of glass, plus we acquire items of clothes for those needed boosts, much like the tonics gave us in BioShock.