(I am now in a rush to test as many games as possible to help, so please do not mind the cursory reviewing style.)
"You climb the large staircase, ascending higher and higher as the gears turn around you ominously."
"Castlevania"? ;)
Text adventure games get your imagination going. Some are hardcore (such as the (in)famous "Dunnet" on Emacs); I manage to beat this one on my first try. :)
Good writing style, and nice presentation (colors, time for taking a decision…).
I feel the link to the constraint is not that strong (getting to loop should be more pervasive), but still, decent argument.