I played a bit more and I absolutely missed that part. Now it makes a lot more sense haha
First of all the presentation is gorgeous, I like the art and how the characters have little chats. The threat is real and maybe a bit too much at the start. I was a bit stressed and I felt more motivated to avoid things than being curious about things to discover/explore. One small thing I found a tiny bit annoying was that I had to wait for the animation when a tile breaks.
It's an interesting concept for sure and I can see the potential here of a game that lets you forget time. Looking forward to where this is going!