So after a second attempt at the stages, again, Junk Man was the closest I came to finishing, again with a sliver of health. I think my problem is that I haven't played SNES emulation with a keyboard in years.
As for game recommendations, I third FFL3, as its a from a trio of games I've never had the chance to play, despite emulation being a thing, and would l've to play it (I also love RPGs, so there's that)