The 'Best collectable score' system

THE 'BEST [COLLECTABLE] SCORE' SYSTEM
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A lot of 3D Platformer-collectathons follow a generic formula when it comes to it's collectable system. It will have:
- A signature collectable (BK/BT Jiggies, SM64 Stars, DK64 Golden Bananas)
- Some smaller main collectable which will be tied to game progression (BK Notes for opening Note Doors, BT Notes for purchasing moves, SM64 Coins for collecting the 100 Coin Stars, DK64 Coloured Bananas for acquiring Banana Medals/Feeding Scoff)
- Some other collectables which will have some impact on game progression (BK Jinjos, BT Glowbos, SM64 Boss Keys, DK64 Crowns/Keys/Fairies...)

This works perfectly fine for game structure in my opinion. It gives priority to the most important collectables whilst also giving importance to the smaller ones with linking it to game progression.
That being said, something which is important is how death affects the smaller collectables and how the game deals with this.

I make no secret that I have a personal annoyance with death resetting progress in a level. It punishes the player for making a mistake by bullying the player into playing the same huge chunk of content again until the player decides that they've had enough. Banjo-Tooie removing this resetting mechanic (which was present in Banjo-Kazooie) was one of the best changes that they made from the 1st to the 2nd game.
I understand there are advantages to this system though. For one, it reduces the amount of file space for a game since every small collectable doesn't need a permanent flag assigned to it. There only needs to be a memory address which details the maximum score for each level.
It also introduces more challenge into a game, which is arguably lacking in modern games.

This leads me onto a game called 'Earthworm Jim 3D', a game where it was mostly panned by fans of the older 'Earthworm Jim' games for being too different from it's predecessors. I regard this game as a decent game (for the most part). It's got a great deal of personality and brings a unique vibe to the N64 collectathons, it wasn't just a "Banjo-Kazooie copycat" (a label that some people put to other collectathons of the era).
However, like Banjo-Kazooie, Earthworm Jim 3D has a 'death resetting progress' mechanic. This game fails to deal with it nearly as well, and nothing highlights this more than 'Death Wormed Up'.

This level is in the last half of the game, so it's expected that the level is going to be harder than 'Coop D'Etat' (The first level of the game). But this level brings difficulty to another level.
This level has several quicksand sections. Staying in this substance for too long will start to suffocate Earthworm Jim (The main protagonist), and eventually will result in death. These quicksand sections also tend to have jumps from platform to platform, missing the jump (or taking a hit from jumping piranhas, or the bats I'll mention in a second) will mean you land in the quicksand. Unfortunately, there are a lot of areas where it's impossible to make it back to safety before dying.
There are also bats which deal twice the amount of damage to you than enemies beforehand, and the level is scattered with them (even the quicksand sections). The only indication you'll get that there is a bat about to attack you is a quick laugh. Fail to respond quick enough and locate the bat? Well, prepare to get acid to the face and lose a big chunk of health.

It is very easy to die to something that isn't your fault or as a result of an incredibly minor mistake.

Sounds like a hard level, right? Reminder that you've still got to complete the main objectives of this level to acquire all 6 udders (this games version of Jiggies/Stars/GBs) and collect all 100 marbles (this games version of Notes). All 100 marbles have to be acquired within the same life (some which are located within the quicksand sections).

In comparison, Banjo-Kazooie has it's tough sections (Engine Room and Click Clock Wood are the 2 which come to mind, albeit nowhere near as punishing as 'Death Wormed Up'), however, collecting all 100 Jiggies and 900 notes is not required to beat the game. You only need 810 notes and 94 Jiggies in glitchless play.
This means that if you find a section particularly hard, the option is there to skip it, and you'll still be able to face the final boss. It also has a reward for those who completed more of the game with the bonus refills and double health at the top of the tower.

The same cannot be said for Earthworm Jim 3D.

Every single udder and every single marble is required to unlock the final boss. This is the biggest flaw with the game. If you find a section too hard and don't want to sit through another session of pain (but want to experience the end of the game), tough.
I respect the game for having tough sections, it's a welcome inclusion for those who find other collectathons too easy. Having the death reset mechanic makes this more annoying. The requirement for completion is too much.

Should we have games in the future which are hard? Yes. Difficulty can be really fun if done correctly (See Super Hexagon and Super Meat Boy for terrific examples of this).
Should we have games in the future where death resets progress in a level? Kinda. It's a mechanic which isn't present a lot nowadays, and I'm glad for it.
Should we have games in the future where completion is mandatory for seeing a final boss? Kinda. It has it's positives, but I feel like there should always be the option to skip portions of the game that you're unhappy with and still experience the game being beaten (as long as you're not skipping too much). There should still be some form of incentive for people to complete the game 100% with some form of additional content.

Should we have games in the future which have all 3 of these properties? Please no.