thankyou! yeah i can't deny that animal well was a primary influence here, and attempting to make something similar has taught me a lot about the fine line between a satisfyingly crytpic and an unfairly obtuse puzzle. i tried to build the flow of the game in a way that created an expanding circle of connected puzzles, the first being what the creatures can actually do, and the last being how to actually get the door open.
if i can give you a hint for the final solution, isn't there something suspicious about that platform next to the big door. it seems to lead to nowhere? an odd choice indeed.