Yeah, I hear a lot of the same feedback about checkpoints. I wanted dying and restarting the level to be as quick and painless as possible. I think intermediate checkpoints would have helped in that regard, but dying and trying again is definitely a big part of the game.
I’m glad it worked for you the way it is :)
Checkpoints as a difficulty option is a great idea. I hadn’t thought of that, but it seems like a perfect way to balance the challenge.