Thanks for trying out the game and writing a review, @severedhand . I really appreciate it.
I’m sorry about the bug you hit about being stuck in the Library because the key was taken back from you. You’re right — there are lots of possible interactions to anticipate, and I hadn’t properly accounted for this one. I’ve uploaded a fixed version.
I’m concerned about your “second bug”, that you couldn’t examine the chests, even after following the walkthrough. I have unit tests that test the walkthrough, so if everything was followed, that shouldn’t be possible (but computer can always surprise us!). I suspect you missed knowing that Aelred was poisoned, which gates the search-chests ability. There should have been a clear warning when you try to get back onto the Cloister after examining the body and searching the gardens, warning you if you missed this. I don’t suppose you have a transcript of your plays? That would help me track down a bug if there is one here. There should have been a hint visible to you (it gets ungated when you first search something like this, “Why can’t I search the cots and chests?” I don’t know if you read that hint or not; if you did, and it didn’t help nudge you in the right direction, please let me know?)
It sounds like Invisiclue-style hints aren’t your thing; that’s a fair preference. If you have any suggestions re: the hints themselves, I’d very much welcome that (it sounds like they might have revealed too much about things you weren’t stumped on, and not enough about things you were).
Thanks, and have fun with the rest of the entries!