Yeah I think getting some of the power-ups is baked in to the intended progression, I’m far from an expert gamer but I’m not sure if it is all that feasible to reach the bottom without at least a few of them.
FWIW I think owch was one of the more interesting creators I found thanks to the bundle. 10S was a stronger concept than final game IMO but Water’s Fine was very neat and I thought Palace of Wow was rather good.