Unfortunately, before the "skull" boss fight started, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to jump the barrier (doable with the eagle jump.) To my horror, it turned out that the pit didn't actually kill you, just leaving you to suffer and subsequently restart the level.
Great game, compelling storyline, and great action, but there were some glitches. Also, I beat Vandheer on my first try by simply spamming aerials and the heal ability.