I lost on the first try, beat it on the second.
Here's all I know folks:
Always check the ground before you walk. Pitfalls and keys are easy to notice. Hidden pitfalls will have an inconspicuous gathering of plant matter that, if you look closely, is covering a hole. Most easily found ladders will have hidden pitfalls!
I won the game by picking up a key and walking into one of those walls that has a red gash on it. It teleported me right next to an untrapped ladder. Some of those walls make a locked door sound when you try to back into them. Trying this trick on other wall types may make you drop down a level.
Anyway, the game isn't terrifyingly scary, but it is unnervingly scary. The atmosphere and feeling of helplessness is spot on. Falling into the darker and more degraded parts of the dungeon, seeing stranger and scarier things, is an absolutely horrible experience (in a good way).