It's fascinating really, I typically would not lament $15 for a game, especially from an indie developer, but just the other week I experienced such a title for which in retrospect I wouldn't pay $3. You shouldn't blame a game for how many times you die, but you can certainly blame wonky, sluggish, imbalanced mechanics.
YET I'm dying equally as much in Hollow Knight and I'm hype the entire time. In fact, dying is exciting and suddenly the satisfaction of besting a hurdle with strategy and practice makes me feel young again. We even noticed that the basic attack styles of certain smaller enemies trained me for similar movements of bosses and mini-bosses in the area, who, with more intelligent AI, provide a more intricate and distinct battle. I'm in love with this game wallah, AND it's low key a love letter to the lugubrious marriage of death and dreams akin to Alundra.