Nice pun :D ! Congratulations, you got the job.
I totally agree with you. This was made by people that just met for a game jam last week, but it safe to say that everyone in the team is excited about the prospect of pushing this further.
+1 for the outer trees connection. I think the sound and particles are great indication that something great happened ... but nothing really happens.
Thanks for the feedback.
Follow the project for updates ! :)