Stuck - what to do with the key? Clipping bug upon loading a save.

[Eviction Notice]

First off I would like to say I really want to finish this game. It's very intriguing - almost as if it was created 20 years ago and dug up in a time capsule. It reminds me of Flashback and Another World. The scenes are creepy and minimalistic.

The biggest bug that really needs to be fixed ASAP is that upon loading a saved game, the character is allowed to move through the puzzle obstacles without solving them or having the correct inventory item. For instance, the icicle, which blocks the ice cave at the beginning of the game. Upon first trying to go through it, you are blocked. However, if you die or load a saved game, it then lets you pass through it. It makes it really hard to know if I am completing the game in the correct order and also can get me into situations where I am permanently stuck because I have not completed a task necessary to move forward, but was not supposed to be there in the first place.

So far, here is what I have accomplished without dying: picked up the axe, rope, ice crystal, powerful gun, and fire. I went into a room with a statue pointing to the right, which opened a platform at the very first scene where I jumped up and got a key. However, I cannot figure out what the key unlocks. Has anyone gotten that far? I keep trying all sorts of things, however, I will eventually die or lock up the character and have to reload the game, which then breaks everything due to the above bug.