I sadly think I broke the game during my attempted playthrough. I was frustrated by my inability to find a spot that the game found acceptable for the encyclopedia set while unpacking the upstairs hallway box (I'd already put a bunch of crap on the shelf where there was clearly enough room for the set), so I just turned around and plopped it on the first shelf in the storage room behind me. Immediately I was unable to interact with any of the cardboard boxes, which I *think* soft-locked the game. I wandered the house for ten uneventful minutes, trying to find something changed or to trigger an event, before finally having to quit.
Until then? Phenomenal and eerie. Reminded me a bit of the film Skinamarink, from this spring.