Yo, I'll certainly come back sometime!
As for your question, I actually didn't make it to the end. That's mostly because I wasn't sure when it was gonna end since there wasn't a feel of progression yet. Even something like a level select structure could've grounded the game as I played it maybe? Something to tell me that I'm moving forward, or at what point of the game I am.
I also just tried your old version, and I actually prefer the movement there! I think what was there that made movement harder were those not-straight corners, but since in this newer version you don't have them, I think the non-sliding version could work out.
Hope this helps, I'm always available in case you want someone to do some playtesting!