That intention definitely shines through, and instantly sets this apart. Particularly the choice to let you exit the level from any checkpoint - great quality of life feature, and way better than tucking it in a menu option.
It did surprise me a bit that the hold down to enter/exit isn't debounced - so if you keep holding, you keep flip-flopping between the two destinations. Not sure if that's specifically to support some mechanics you have in mind, like trying to catch that critter that only spawns when you enter the level?