Oh man im glad you moved away from the old idea :P
Cuz i feel what u guys have currently is such a good idea!
For the puzzle mode u mentioned, i feel if u DO end up working on it, it could be its own game lmao
I mean other than the visuals and bomb mechanic, EVERYTHING is different! The whole gameplay loop and hte goal changes, so it COULD just be a separate thing :P
Ahh if u feel the players should be able to FIND the use of that, thats fine, but if it becomes a crucial mechanic in any level, that COULD get annoying for a player if they never pause.. Tho its not like its a hidden button so its bound to be found sooner or later xD
But that will most likely resutl in atleast 1 guy spending 30 mins trying to get to the perfect position only to realise later that he can just slow down time :P