Thanks for the support!
The 5x5 screen with the buttons on the right was inspired by Mario’s Picross, which had a similar layout. The 5x5 levels are basically a tutorial and I don’t expect players to spend that much time on them in total, so I imagine it’s fine? I think it’s useful for beginners, and also teaches that Select can be used for “maybe” (this would otherwise be hidden in some menu which most players might never see).