Thanks for such thought through feedback! Yes, precisely. People are both used to, and expect to/want to succeed in VNs, whether it means making the "right" choices to get the story you want or if it's getting a puzzle right at the first try. I guess they are used to being rewarded when things go flawlessly. I'm like that myself, I want to see what happens when you do everything "optimally". So, how to make people be comfortable and even enjoy not finding the way immediately...? Maybe I could add some sort of hint in advance... I'm glad you found that the interaction with Emerson took away some frustration with the puzzle, hopefully others do too - if they lean into and enjoy letting themselves accept his help rather than figuring it out themselves.