Very creative game! It feels like a game of inventory micromanagement, which is an interesting genre to say the least. :)
After a few tries, I was finally able to reach the second cave.
Wasn't sure what to do with the "How to build a fire" book with the first NPC, but it didn't seem that I was able to do anything for him -- if there was something there, I never figured it out.
Overall, the game was a bit frenetic, and I found the game a bit too stressful to want to continue much further than the second cave. I was glad I got through a bit of it, but I don't think I have the wherewithal to make it much past that point. :D
I couldn't tell if there were hints for the mazes, and if it was possible to solve it without dying multiple times in order to map out the maze first, and then take a more optimized path later.
You're halfway between an action / time game, and a thinking / puzzle game, but I felt like I couldn't really take time to think about the strategy of the game because I had to just keep moving.
Nice job on the game! More things that would help to make things clear and easier to understand would perhaps be useful for taking some of the stress out of the game, but I'm impressed you were able to create a game as creative as this one.
Congratulations on completing an entry!