The difficulty in the early game is intentional. The ball bouncing around helplessly is there to create immense tension and either frustration with the near miss or extreme satisfaction when combos are hit.
As the game progresses the tension shifts from watching an individual ball bounce to managing ammo as a resource.
I also like to ensure that no playthrough is completely wasted. Upgrades and purchases carry over from run to run, progression is spread out over multiple runs rather than individually.