Thank you so much for the crit, your feedback is really helpful.
I totally agree with you on the level design. The project was only meant to be a week long, so I didn't give the gameplay design that much attention but I'm definitely going to tweak it to be more enjoyable.
As for the head-on collision killing you, there's something about the collision detection that freaks out and sends the player character flying. I don't know quite what causes it, I have a suspicion but I'm not certain. I'll try a few fixes or workarounds.
Again, I'm really grateful you took the time to say your thoughts on my game.
It's my first functioning solo project, so for someone outside of my immediate circle to even see it is amazing. -L.N. :)