I loved Tower of Heaven, not a direct influence here but perhaps indirect.
I didn’t think about “surf” until now, but that’s a great idea.
As far as a “hook” goes, I’ve got a few things planned to flesh out the game world. E.g. after stepping into the light at the end you’ll be taken to a new floor of the mountain. Will have a completely different environment, calling into question what’s going on (alien experiment? trapped in limbo? some other cliche?)