Thank you!
I immediately liked the concept when the game's co-creator suggested it, so we ran with it from that point onward.
You are entirely correct. Our goal was primarily to make a bug-free approachable game, and we had to ruthlessly cut features to get a finished game with a menu and credits.
I have a memory: I made the core of the game without the animations. I had a very focused concept for the game, but the game didn't show it to the player.