I died once and the game reset to the very beginning which seems unfortunate. Checkpoints would be great because I don't wanna repeat the first 10 minutes again, especially when combat is kinda difficult.
I recommend you to save the game to prevent this. You can save the game after leaving the portal area! I'd also recommend fighting the hairballs in the over world to level up a bit. Each level up also heals you back to full health. Thank you for playing!