Thanks a lot for such detailed feedback!
The theme was definitely approached more through the story than through the gameplay. Mark Brown mentioned that the jam theme could be interpreted in a very open and flexible way, so I decided to follow that direction. Also, my engine does not have any built-in countdown system, and I really wanted to use it to make the game, so I focused on the narrative interpretation instead.
I completely agree with your criticism of the puzzle level design. It was not clear enough where passages or doors were located, and I also should have visually differentiated doors opened by keys from doors activated by pressure plates. Those clues should have been communicated much better through the pixel art itself.
As for speedrunning the game after removing the wall, that is one way to finish it again—but theoretically, you could even reposition the player in the editor so the game starts right next to the bomb, hahaha.
Thank you again for the thoughtful feedback and for the kind words about the narrative, the engine, and the final gimmick. I really appreciate it!
Also, I’d be super thrilled if you came back to Tiny RPG Studio. Our community would love to see some new people and new games!