Thank you for giving me such a detailed response. 
It's certainly easier to get to the end of the level on higher intensity levels, but score relies on getting acorns, which seems pretty hard. =) You're right that it's more funny.. and just fun.. to be like a flying squirrel in the storm. I think of rage games as being frustrating in a funny way, like that, and it seemed like a good goal for the jam. It is not my long-term vision for the game, but perhaps it could remain as a play mode?