The mountain has been conquered - thank you for making such an enjoyable game.
I don’t think there’s anything “wrong” with the difficulty as it was a conscious choice even if it doesn’t cater to everyone, in the same way that I wouldn’t expect puzzle levels to be made easier just so everyone can solve them. (Still, thank you for the slow-mo version for noobs like me)
spoilers
I ended up starting from the beginning since it sounds like I softlocked it in that state. I’m still worried there are other ways to softlock that section but I managed to avoid it on my second go-around.
I ended up progressing through the middle of the decay block ceiling on my new attempt, though I kinda cheesed that too as I passed through one of those purple “rollers” that normally knocks me down, but that effect sometimes doesn’t register if an input is given at a certain time. (i.e. if a roller is on the edge of a block, you can sometimes pass through it and go one unit up and to the right/left to make it to safety).