But I must admit I haven’t really progressed much further. I did collect another token or two but haven’t found a passage to the still-unrevealed sections of the map.

That said, I think this is brilliant. Its initial setup is clever and satisfyingly rigorous, and exploration after the break-point is definitely rewarded. There’s something special about discovering a new highly structured area after wandering through the wilderness.

I think it’s a mistake, however, that the design doesn’t allow for permanently-opened shortcuts (or, barring that, a more robust auto-transport system). As-is, the punishment for touching a save-spot after trying out a one-way passage is just much too large (especially because without a map indicating connections, it might take a huge amount of wandering to even find how to get to where you were previously, let alone repeat whatever tricky section preceded it).

So, halfway through (near the clouds) I sort of find myself paralyzed in fear of that punishment. Will I remember which of the teleporters takes me to the area preceding the area I’ve been now exploring, were I to take a wrong turn or accidentally hit return on the map screen again?

But I’ll surely pick this up again when I have the chance, because I do think it’s brilliant.

(I wonder if this complaint might be mitigated by an upcoming gameplay element anyway?)

…direction.