Thanks so much! Yeah Ducky's not messing around >:)
The "shadows" part is interpreted through the hatch that lets in the sunlight. In the shadows, the flower dies quicker, while the sunlight heals it. However, I didn't have time to balance the game/incentivize the player in a way that makes them have to shut and open the hatch - in its current state, the hatch can just be let open, so that was a bit of a dud.
As far as motivating players to traverse around - you're on point with that one as well. I wanted the seeds to shoot out and land on platforms all around the map so as to motivate vertical movement - but again, just didn't make time for that.
Learnt some good lessons, though. Thanks again for playing!