Thanks for the feedback!
The reason I left the hook long is because I felt it might add some tension when the ball is off screen, wondering if you'll get that last minute save! I'll do some playtesting and see how different lengths feel.
UI is a big weakness for me, I'll experiment a bit with different layouts.
I like the idea of holding onto the orb temporarily for more control, the end goal is to create a range of abilities and create a small rogue-lite experience, so I'll be experimenting with different interactions for sure.
I've been toying with ideas for level geometry, thinking of adding some obstacles that your ball can only navigate when it reaches certain sizes, such as narrow passages onlysmaller balls fit, and maybe some death pits that it'll eventually be too large to fall down, or adding areas your ball can't reach so you have to risk abandoning it for a while to reach some incentive. Will have to see about balancing frustrations on that one though, lol.