Yay, I did it! That was tough.
I really liked the idea of a shared timer for all 5 levels. But it doesn’t work because that’s not what causes you to die, and the timer doesn’t really affect gameplay. For example, if upon death you were thrown back to the current level instead of the first, but with the same timer, it would be more interesting.
The 3-second timer before the start is annoying because you need multiple attempts, and you’re already eager to run, and this pause feels endless.
Another annoying thing is that the character moves and can die after the “level completed” sign. Please don’t do that.
They should also add a level number somewhere in the interface so you can understand the progression.
Overall, the hardcore challenge was a success; I liked it, even though I’m not a hardcore player.