My gosh, this was pure insanity and chaos and SO MUCH FUN. I think what really makes this loop mechanic work so well is the fact that there's a FINAL goal that's super obvious, and how it's literally impossible to beat that final goal without the help of the other troops you make along the way.
The other thing that balances this out so nicely is the bullets being just a little bit flashy. Because it means, you may be getting shooting help, but boy howdy good luck seeing what you're doing XD