A cute and satisfying set of mechanics, as usual from your games! :) I like how the mechanics synergize - creating, destroying, moving, and the minesweeper numbers.
I enjoyed reading your Pre-mortem. (And I recommend others skim it, if you're interested!) I think I understand what you mean with the awkwardness of the mechanics and with some of the puzzles. But from my perspective, it seems like you did a great job working with the mechanics you had, and making puzzles with constraints that are inviting to reason about (though still difficult to reason about! and sometimes trial-and-error-y as you mention). I'm glad you decided to wrap it up and publish it. :)