Regarding PC connection to the city, it often seems in noir-ish stories that there's a sort of back-and-forth parasitic relationship going on. Like, if a PC manages to get away from the city, for good, it has the feel of an escape. So I think there are ties there, they're just not particularly healthy ones. Once a PC reaches, or is pushed to, some critical point they can reach escape velocity and get out. Or die trying.

Anyway,  a lot of those dynamics show up in various ways. Like, "I gotta make one more big score and I'm outta here", or "I'm in too deep and so-and-so will never let me leave", and maybe "I screwed up before, and staying here is the cross I'm going to make myself carry (at least until I redeem myself)". Not that the protagonists necessarily want to get out of the city, but it seems like there is always this sort of co-dependence going on.

Don't know if you care to account for that sort of thing, or plan on it happening organically during play, but I thought it worth mentioning.

edited to add: Maybe getting out of the City can be one of those Ungiven Future advances, equivalent to retirement.

The saving throws are basically specific Suffer Harm moves, yeah? I think they would bring a lot more to the game if you gave each save category a few custom move results. As it is now, the only difference is which stat you roll against, which is sort of "eh".

Unless you're fine with a lot of spells losing potency, removing saves all together may not be a good thing.

I can't help but think of Milla Jovovich. If she faced more human opponents than viral zombies I think her Hot would come into play more often. Anyway, she's my front runner for prototypical Battlebabe.

This really puts me in mind of the Viriconium books by M. John Harrison. Good stuff.