I feel so bad about this. You
grgrgr5 have been so enthusiastic and encouraging. Yet I've been radio silent and something of a jerk.
After my other message now some time ago. I found, what believe to be a better path for the first level, when considering going into the next one.
There is a way to sneak in even more attack if you don't use the Eastern key route. You'll sadly have to use one of the hearts guarded by a bird in the Western section. The extra attack is really important for the next level. Especially if you wait with the silver gates and gather some more of them to utilize in the next level. But there are so many variations of this path and how to proceed with it in regards to optimization, that I'm getting a stomachache and it makes me feel a bit dizzy.
I kept trying to get back into the game. Everytime I was stumped as I kept visualizing all the other paths of the previous level, for every move I decided to take in the next one. I also know this will only get worse, as I get to the next one. Having access to all the areas at once, makes this really jarring for me.
I might report back, should I find an optimal path in the next level. I have to admit, that it looks like the hard mode in this game has me beat.