And so, after two abandoned playthroughs, I finally played through the whole level again. Overall, my opinion has gotten more positive. The added save points and some toned down challenges really helped make this playthrough a lot less frustrating and more entertaining than my first. The added experience probably contributed as well. The level is in a pretty good state now. Obviously not without some further room for improvement, as my feedback made clear, but I'm rather satisfied now. Won't be forgetting about it any time soon.