I really love this so far!! I've been toying with a hobby project in a similar genre, and it's great to see someone else making something in this space, and executed so well! The puzzles and exploration are interesting and satisfying, challenging enough where I had to use my noggin but not too obtuse; I had to use the walkthrough for one puzzle, but I think that can be pretty easily addressed. I really loved the problems presented with basically no handholding, just "your goal is this, this is in the way. Figure it out!"
(spoilers from this point on)
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These are some notes/thoughts I had while playing that might be useful. Take them with a grain of salt!
The puzzle I was stuck on was the elements puzzle. I was pretty close, it seemed like a lot of pieces to put together, but the one thing that was missing was my knowledge of the camera mechanics. I think having a clearer, simpler task using the flash mechanic before that puzzle would 100% solve that issue. To be fair, I didn't experiment with the camera as much as I could've, but I don't remember any references or implications about the camera for that elements puzzle. I didn't understand that "flash" was an always-on "night vision mode" rather than a short flash when taking a picture, but it's obvious in hindsight. Just some thoughts on why that puzzle might cause issues!
One minor gripe I have is with the hatchet: It's fun to use, but imo the texture/material of things you can use it on and things you can't are too similar, at least for the main progression. There's a similar texture to the breakable wood which isn't breakable, sometimes even placed right next to breakable wood, which had me overlooking an area as an impassable wall rather than a new path. I think that can be fine for optional secrets, like one I found on the edge of town by breaking down a small wooden panel (which was very satisfying- I loved finding the secrets. Would love if there were short lore bits with some of them as well!)
I also was stuck for a bit in Joe's workshop, because the lock on the door in the back was a bit hidden, I just assumed it was another door I needed a key for.
Another (minor) gripe I had is the inconsistency of the freedom of exploration. I like exploring, jumping on top of stuff, seeing where all I can go, etc, so I noticed the invisible walls pretty quickly. A little disappointing, but I don't mind it too much if it's just not that kind of game. My gripe is that the rules of the world are inconsistent- can I use a dumpster to jump over a fence or not? It's required to get to the A/B/C storage area, but 20 meters away, behind Joe's, there's another dumpster right next to a fence, but it has an invisible wall, and you can see outside the playable area. It's not the end of the world, but it does pull me out of it a bit and I believe less in the consistency and world of the game when I encounter things like that, even though it's obviously understandable as a developer.
Again, these are just my thoughts and might not be what you're going for :) Really though, I had a lot of fun playing this. Very satisfying, interesting, and unique puzzles, interesting lore and narrative, and a big mystery!! I'll definitely be watching this game, can't wait to see more!