Thank you so much for the very thorough comment - I really appreciate it!
I apologize for the state of the puzzlea. I did intend for this to be a difficult, but rewarding experience, but you're absolutely right. We did rush through the beta-testing/test-solving part of puzzle-making so that we could make the jam deadline in time. The puzzles are in a state where they are solvable (one of my friends is already on Room 3) - but also really hard.
In the near future (possibly next week - but unsure right now...), me and my team have plans to neaten them up so that they can be solved more "cleanly", instead of being brute-forced. That way, there's a neat balance between the puzzles in terms of difficulty and solvability.