Thank you for your feedback. I wish we had little more time to polish a few things up especially a handful you mentioned.
The Boss fight that gate and there is one in the hero's room they open when you beat the boss or eat the hero. It was a quick and dirty keep things in one area. The boss I suppose I didn't technically need to do but I also didn't want the person to just leave the room. The goal was for you to jump into the pit and fight the boss. However when I was testing later I notice a few issues with the boss and one was what you pointed out.
I agree with the running and jumping. Along with the camera add a small delay into it so its not stiff or something like that.
Thank you for playing though! We appreciate it