I was very close to giving up on stage 3 and coming back later after some sleep haha. The scale of stage 3 and the realization that there would be even more back and forth mechanics between the hero and the player's actions was absolutely daunting but I'm glad I persevered. Stage 2 alone took me way longer than I'd like to admit. But I stuck in there and it really paid off. I won't deny it was a bit of a relief to see there wasn't an even crazier stage four! Though I'd definitely be keen to play more.
This is a fantastic concept that I'd imagine would have an audience as a commercial game. So many good ideas and puzzle elements are crammed into these few levels. I think you could easily spread out many of these mechanics like introducing the chest system, key, amulet,etc across many more levels without it feeling repetitive. The narration, music and effects all fit well with the visual style too.
Great submission, definitely one of my favorites so far!