A few tweaks will make this fantastic!
I absolutely love the style of this game. Its combination of literate dramatic narration and tongue-in-cheek attitude make it great. The fact that you get to fight Death when you die rather than simply coming back is a great touch.
Here are two suggestions.
The perspective shift when turning around is sluggish and not always responsive. I couldn't get the feel of how I went from walking backwards to actually turning around and facing the other way, which sucks when there's an enemy behind you.
The running and jumping level with the red guy behind you seems like it depends on luck a heck of a lot more than skill, and is annoying as all hell. I quit after dying the 3rd time. I don't mind a challenge, but after my performance at the level did not increase at all after 3 deaths, I'd had it, which is a shame because I thoroughly enjoyed the game up until then.
The battle with Death is a fantastic idea, however the fight itself is easy but slow. Perhaps each time you fight death, he could move faster?