During the development of this, I wondered a lot about the viability of the direction I chose. Part of the controls issue is for sure a bit of unintentional jank, but I was also less worried about fixing any issues, since it added to the unfair feeling I wanted to create.
So yeah, I think the feeling that you're too underpowered even at full power is exactly what I wanted (but it is possible to get to the end* of the level even after 1 death, I think, but definitely with no deaths). Ideally, I don't want people to feel that they're getting "good" at the game. But potentially that's a problem in and of itself. I appreciate the detailed perspective and recounting of your experience. I'm curious to see how many people will feel the same as you (I suspect it'll be a pretty big majority).
Thanks for playing and for the detailed feedback!
* It's worth noting that the "end" of the level is a jump you can't make that just kills you immediately. There's no "winning" this game; you can only finish it by giving up.