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That's a good idea. I had an earlier design that was similar, where after so many loops it would turn on extra options. I didn't use it in the end because I hoped the player would choose 'destroy' at their own realisation. This would then leave them to ponder why destroying it was the way out. I also liked the neatness of the reset loop, where the countess isn't aware she's stuck in limbo, thus creating dramatic irony.

For a bit of background info, the game was part-inspired by Aisle, where after one move you get an ending, and are encouraged to replay to see other endings. I wanted to incorporate this format, but change it so the looping is part of the narrative itself, unlike Aisle. This can cause frustration in Countess though, as you found, since the player can feel like they're stuck forever, due to Countess having a fixed closure (unlike Aisle) which needs a leap of faith (or an inquisitive player) to reach.

Tim