Thanks for taking the time to play! There is a story in there, though it's mostly in the opening: something put the lights out across the whole world, and a rat stumbles on a torch that turns out to be special, so it climbs toward the surface. I probably should make that come through more during play.
The time-attack idea is a good one — the torch burning down would fit the game well. I'll put it in a post-jam update. Thanks again for giving it a go.