Thanks for getting in touch on discord, will post my answer here as well! Theoretically you could play it solo no problem - track time, choose a place to investigate, read the descriptions as they come up, and so on. But I think you'd miss out on the experience of how some of the twists unfold, and some of the NPC tracking might be tough. Playing alone you also may want to cut the length of the time loop, since solo play tends to move faster than group play.
As for your second question, for sure! Happy to provide a download code to anyone who has a receipt or proof of purchase of the physical edition - just get in touch on Discord or through the contact form on my website.