Thanks for the detailed feedback! Sorry to hear it ended up being a frustrating experience for you, but I'm grateful all the same that you gave it a shot!
If it helps at all, regarding the optional content and FOMO, I'm trying to design the game to where even if you skip every optional objective you'll still be guaranteed the core intended experience. (Though I know that missing things can still feel bad, regardless.)
As for the Chapter Hints, could I ask a couple questions about your experience with them? No worries if it's too much of a hassle, feel free to not respond. I just want to learn how helpful or unhelpful they are so I can adjust if needed.
1. When you did get stuck, were any of them helpful in solving the problem at hand?
2. Regarding hints that didn't help, were they not clear enough? Or were the hints not relevant to the problem to begin with?