Hey thanks so much for taking the time and writing so much and such detailed feedback! This is exactly the kind of stuff we do these jams for. I'm the level designer + systems programmer for this.

I have played braid but I didn't get as far in it as the world you referenced - I'm going to have to pick it up again. I'm glad that you spotted our twist of resetting the entire level but staying in the present - it's not something I've seen before and I actually got the idea while watching Christopher Nolan's Tenet (an okay film with an interesting concept). We were very down to the wire here because we all had committments to get to 6 hours before the jam ended so we had to finish up early - I had so many more ideas I wanted to implement, as well as a few additional mechanics. Hopefully will get to an extended edition after the jam!

On the timer - it's a lazy way of ensuring the player doesn't just stand in a corner for ages and then solve puzzles solo, ensuring that the past-self is always a threat. But the more I play it, the more I realise that you can bake this into the designs of the puzzles to ensure this happens anyway. So yeah I think I'm with you on that, it belongs on the cutting room floor.

Thanks again for playing and leaving such great feedback, stay in touch!