I think the slope jump could use a little something to help players realize it's a thing. I'm sure I accidentally did a few before the required jump, but never noticed because it only sends you a few tiles higher than normal. Maybe a unique animation or visual/sound effect to let you know you did a different type of jump?
The struggling was easy enough to intuit, though I do think it could be made a little easier to "start". The hardest part of escaping was getting the meter swinging.