Excellent point and yes, they are tough critics, but they were right. The game felt off a tiny bit and after they had been polite for a short while because "dad made it" they just lost interest.

Not sure I'll continue with it, but it was fun to experiment with.

Most copies feel wrong in the placement rules rather than the art. Ghost piece snapping before the drop, a lock delay short enough to feel decisive, a clear that reads as a payout, and the polite phase does not last long when any of those are off. Did they tell you what felt wrong, the pace or the clears?