The visual novel elements will kick in in the future (0.2).
You've already started a quest (the main story's), and that needs to come to a satisfactory end, or the story won't make sense.
In 0.2, a series of events will happen that will not be skippable. But to make the journey more enjoyable (hopefully), we are going to add a couple of scenes along the way (plus introducing new characters).
Once you're done with the first part of the main story (0.3), you'll be back at the sandbox and will be able to do whatever you want!