It's a great game. Sometimes there is just no possible way to do it though. For example, suppose that on one smash your options are far left and far right but you're closer to the right (due to previous smashes) so you take that one. Next, both are far left and you immediately run that direction but can't make even the closest of the two, even without any delays in movement and perfect reaction timing.
This exact scenario and its mirror is invariably what kills me just about every single time. Getting a high score is both skill and luck because of this. Certainly it takes a lot of skill. But at any point you could be unlucky and have both gaps appear at the exact opposite side from where you are and have no possible means to get there.
It's safest to choose gaps nearer the middle if you can, but this isn't always possible either so even with no bad choices made by the player, they still can lose through no fault of their own, but just bad luck.