I actually think that the old-fashioned "death pits" bring a lot of strategic risk-and-reward to a platformer. I know IGA said he isn't a fan, but I like them a great deal for the tension they add in concert with enemy and obstacle placement. I do believe the "fall damage" in the N64 games made sense, where we had 3D depth/dimensionality. It was a fitting substitute for areas where "death pits" had no logic. This element was largely implemented in tower-type levels; those are falls from tremendous heights, and aside from Cornell, the playable characters are all human. Even with Cornell, he's not immortal (and isn't always in man-beast form).
All of that said, for a "Classicvania" or "Metroidvania"-type game, "fall damage" doesn't bring anything positive to the design that I can tell. Partially because of precedent and partially because of lack of vertical depth, it's essentially unnecessary in the realm of 2D. Likewise, as much as I love "death pits" in "Classicvania" games, they are harder to justify in a "Metroidvania"; but that doesn't mean there should not be costly obstacles and traps in that genre. Spike pits, acid pools, lava flows, swinging guillotines, poison water, whirlpools, etc really need to be implemented to a good ratio in the design, or we get stuck with flat halls or meandering climbs featuring endless beat-em-up monotony--and potentially cut-and-pasted structures. Even so, if I recall correctly, Metroidvania-type games like the Mega Man ZX series (by Inti Creates) have shown that traditional "death pits" can be thrown in every now and then (depending on the environment). We can't forget that Simon's Quest, a proto-SotN, had "death pits," and the beloved Rondo of Blood has both "death pits" and non-"death pits." Ultimately, for this kind of game, it comes down to making design clarity for the player--even if that clarity is intended to cause uncertainty. Anyway, while I know it shouldn't be the focus, the level of action-platforming in the Mega Man ZX series is something I would hope to experience at some point in Bloodstained--during later areas, perhaps.
Now, as for Classic Mode, I absolutely expect (and demand!) "death pits." One of the reasons I backed Bloodstained was so that there would be a great new Classivania experience. I hope that Classic Mode is at least on par with The Adventure Rebirth; though, I really want it to be better than that. There isn't much reason not to bring in some Super Castlevania IV-like interactivity, with whip gap-swinging and such. (Miriam could do it by magic via her back if not her whip). For that matter, I think the previously mentioned ability needs to be in the main game for the simple reason of the dynamics and variety it would bring to level progression/traversal--much like the Grappling Beam in Super Metroid.
And with all of that out of the way, I've got to put in a plug for
YOOKA-LAYLEE (
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playtonic/yooka-laylee-a-3d-platformer-rare-vival). The video game industry needs a game like this just as much as it needs something like Bloodstained, IMO. Plus, it brought a lot of video gamer attention to Kickstarter just prior to Bloodstained (it was one of the fastest video games to make its base level of money before Bloodstained, if I recall), and its spirit is essentially from the same era of gaming as SotN. So, consider backing it, or telling someone who might be interested in backing it. The tiers are largely lower than Bloodstained was to get the full game, as far as I can tell. If you haven't heard, it's from a talented team of senior ex-employees of Rare involved in Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, etc. Its in the same vein as those previous personality-filled 3D platforming games, where you have 3D playground-type worlds in which you solve puzzles and grab collectables to progress through said worlds and unlock new ones. You do so with a duo of characters who work together, and it's been stated that the overall game design will be honed from past efforts. These non-linear 3D platforming adventure games have largely disappeared, as even Nintendo has shifted their 3D Mario series in a more linear/stage-based direction as of late. Anyway, Yooka-Laylee's creators dumped their own money into making it up to this point, and went to Kickstarter to secure funds that would allow them to expand the game's content and reach. It's at 1,915,826 British Pounds right now with 53 hours left, and if it reaches 2 Million British Pounds (a little over 3 Million US Dollars), Backers get free DLC in the final stretch goal. Just something to consider.