Oh god the puns.
Setting that aside, I find the concept extremely compelling, and the 3D graphics in a 2D space work fairly well. One thing that might help make the depth effect even more polished would be to darken or fog the background as it gets further away.
You also might want to have an alternative input method for accessibility. I wasn't able to get to the end, because the repetitive clicking started hurting my hand. For some people, it might be fully unplayable. The scroll wheel with automatic growth of the ladder could be an option for that.