At first I almost gave up because it felt so hard, but the explosive bullets ended up carrying me all the way to the end. It also feels like the items can really change how each run plays, which makes the game seem like it has a lot of variety.
After a while, I found myself paying less attention to the trouble element, so it might be interesting if even the stronger items came with some kind of fumble or drawback. I think that would fit the concept really well