It's not a trial and error, yeah there's an end, how fast were you going? :D I understand that it may not be apparent that the sound will get louder as you close in on threats. The shiny tail was made so you can backtrack if the sound is getting very loud and you forgot where you came from. Thanks for playing!
I mean, I guess if you have to go backwards because of a sound then it's trial and error, but you can play through without getting caught ever:)