There are probably several ways to address it, but as some examples:
- the death sequence is a bit plain. a death anim/sound, plus something to make the DEAD screen feel a bit more connected to the player (slow fade in, could even have a quip/commentary on how the player died)
- could just make it really fast, and respawn right where before you died, so it doesn't feel bad at all
- make things like spikes have more clear hitboxes, maybe make them player-favored so you can graze them without dying
- could have a "look up/down" option so you can look before you leap