It's important to recognize that I wasn't criticizing the game for being a sidescroller, but for being an autoscroller. That is, the problem is that the camera is always pushing you further along the level. It puts you under constant pressure to keep moving, when what players really want to do is take their time, aim shots, and take them. In fact, I think that if the game was a sidescroller that didn't auto-scroll, it would give you much more freedom as a level designer. One way to implement it would be to simply have the camera always point directly at the player, regardless of where the platform is. This keeps the pacing in the player's control, so they have lots of time to aim and prepare a shot. Hopefully that makes sense. If not, feel free to ask more detailed questions. I'm also happy to talk about it on discord if you want :)
As for your question of "should we continue development"? My answer is simple: if you still feel passionate about the project, definitely! Nobody gets their design exactly the way they want it in 48 hours. If you still feel like the project has potential and you want to keep going, then keep going with it.
I like that you're thinking critically about your design and looking for ways to improve it. If you keep that attitude, I think you will only stand to improve as a game designer.