Just tried this again today (after over 4 months of setting the game aside for a while). I discovered two things:
- I can save-scum this level (i.e. create my own level checkpoint). Setting a checkpoint at the sniper garden made the area much more bearable. It still took many more deaths, but I sorted it out in the end.
- I worked out the trick for the slicing duck room. For some reason I forgot that <redacted>, despite having needed that when dealing with the <redacted>. After realising that, getting past the slicing ducks was much easier.
The remaining rooms were almost pedestrian in comparison.