Magnetism is literally everywhere and in everything, your idea of magnets so far feels... simplistic. As in not doing magnetism true justice, where are the magnetic fields? A game is creation where anything can be possible, so let the real world keep magnetic fields invisible to the naked eye. Thankfully this is not the real world, why not show off some of the magic that is usually impossible to see in real life?
What if you develop some kind of toggle between normal vision, and "magnetic-fields-vision." In this "magnet-vision" the robot senses magnetic fields, revealing their rippling interference and interaction between, say, player magnet hands (pro-tip: add tiny magnet hands to ya Boi) and the magnetic fields between everything else on-screen, including platform sections, magnets, and even repellent zones to simplify a level, while also enabling your initial no-go areas, without having to butcher the once elegant and simple level. Having to stop and view the magnetic fields also helps put the brakes on some of that information overload, making the use of the magnetic fields view mode a rewarding one by showing the next order of information only once the player feels ready to tackle it. I hope this made sense as it is difficult to explain the idea, basically picture a magnetic field diagram, with the concentric expanding rings with arrows along those lines showing direction, they could be moving in their respective directions perhaps, but having the field lines warp and change with respect to all other magnetic fields in real-time will not only place heavy focus on MAGNETS, but also enable clearer communication to the player regarding the next step they should take. We all look forward to a reworked, reimagined demo version 2 release, in time that is 😀👍
Maybe start off with your magnet-vision-sensor getting broken, and briefly needing to use a compass, but holding it messes it up to point at your hands, so you have to drop it and move away to help indicate a field near by, helping you locate the replacement for the broken part to your magnetic fields sensor, this starting off strong on the theme of magnets and magnetism.
I feel that making magnetic fields visual and interactive would be extremely satisfying to play with already, then using it to help understand and overcome challenges would only build upon that satisfaction. It would surely allow for plenty of those "Eureka" moments where the player has that moment of noticing their new and unexpected understanding of the game world.