Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah, the difficulties definitely need to be overhauled. I didn't have anyone to play test and was short on time, so I kind of guessed at the values. If you get lucky early on (and with some practice) you can activate a bonus ball streak by collecting balls in quick succession. These power ups should make clearing the screen significantly easier.
You're right, the transition between some of the modifiers could be tweaked to make them less jarring. I might make some adjustments when the jam is fully finished.