That was a fun! The shifts in music make the tone really engaging. The puzzle sequence is clever and the classic point and click animations are a nice pay-off to figuring things out.
I can see how if someone hasn't played anything in the genre they might not be in the mindset to experiment to find a solution. A hint system would likely be the way to go, but that's too big for a game jam.
I think you've found a good balance and maybe there could just be some encouragement "We promise the game isn't broken. Click everything!"