Hey, Thanks for the feedback! Yes I agree on the animations (we barely got the ones that we have in lol). As for the softlock; I just noticed that today too. It connects back to the east of the base if you cross THAT river intersection successfully (I know it's not a solution but it'd be the same path if you go through the base to the east). I'd suggest going north from the eastern side since it's a smoother flow :)
Thanks for playing it! =D