I think it would benefit from a minor nerf just to help get over the hill, like I said I keep ALMOST getting it but run out of time at the last moment. A small decrease in difficulty shouldn't impact the feeling of relief and victory when you finally clear the stage.
And I'm glad to be helpful any way I can. I can tell you're putting a lot of work into the game and not a lot of people are providing direct feedback, so I thought you might appreciate the input.