It was challenging to balance the meter for the darkness mechanic. Ideally I wanted most players to experience the effect during their first couple of playthroughs, but at the same time I wanted it to be possible to keep it filled up if you kept on top of feather collecting.
That vertical piece is definitely a run killer. I think the best strategy is to get to the middle bellow both ledges on the ground and fly straight up, but it's usually what gets me in the end as well. :P
Yeah it seems like a hard one to balance out; There was this one section with the feather below a floating platform, and that was the only time my bar almost ran out- perhaps more sections like that would make it easier for players to experience the effect? And you can keep it filled up if you remember to take the right path too.
Ah yes I did figure that strat out! but due to my shoddy execution, sometimes still ended up taking me down at times.
Another aspect of the game I liked but forgot to mention earlier, was how flying upwards without holding left/right makes you gain more height. Makes you have to think more about which option you're going for.
