thanks! Hold-menu was inspired by the Metal Gear Solid item selection :)
Yeah, I banked a little too hard that the level design would encourage counter-clockwise movement through that first floor, so I totally overlooked that the door would block you if you approached it clockwise. An unfortunate soft-lock, sorry it got you stuck!
The mis-directed spell cast is my biggest regret. The spell will go in the direction of your most recently pressed direction key, so after traveling diagonally it will often not go in the direction you expect. I should have tied it to the animation direction. Thanks for your helpful feedback!