OK, played it again -- I managed to get a little farther. I realized that the signs are actually intended to stop your player, and that you can also move them out of the way. Then you can also move ones of the spikes to make an area easier, and I got the pink orb upgrade. But then I'm having difficulty going back left. I feel like the orb is got to be important to getting through this area, and I'm aware that I can now drag it left and right in the corner, but I can't figure out what it does. Does it make the speed of the character slower and faster? Does it increase/decrease gravity? Does it increase your speed but only when you're traveling in that direction?
I gave it a bit more effort but I gave it up. Might try again later. But yeah, lots of cool ideas that just need their problems polished out.