Holy moly, thank you so much for this incredibly thorough and kind review. I've been thinking about it non-stop at work since I read it. Comparing this game favorably to Kentucky Route Zero and SH... I'm really flattered. THANK YOU. (Incidentally, my very first playtester made the same remark about the T-rex plushie, but Mr. Protagonist has no time for our sentimental frivolities.) So glad you enjoyed the game, and your review single-handedly re-motivated me to work on another game set in the same universe.
(Also, I definitely recommend A Dark Room. It's very different from this, but it's another good IF-adjacent game that will keep your attention with short bursts of text/narrative!)