What does the number do on the "power-ups" in Inside a Star-Filled Sky?

Question

So, I've been playing Inside a Star-Filled Sky here and there for a couple days and I'm really digging it. However, I'm wondering about the details of how to play.

The power-up tiles (not really power-ups) each have a number. One thing this number does is increment down each time you go up a level. It also seems to indicate the degree of power that you'll have in that particular ability. For example, if you have a big-bullets with a six, then your bullets will be substantially larger than if you have a big-bullets with a two.

Is that what you're seeing too? Anything else?

When you enter one of those tiles to change it's nature, how do the numbers work in your experience?

When you die and drop down a level, what do the numbers do?

Answer 1

They typically indicate the "level" of the power-up. More accurately though, they actually indicate the quantity of that power up. For example, if you enter a level 2 power up, you will find that once inside, you (as the power-up) contain 2 copies of that individual power-up. You can also have additional ones since you can have a total of three, but the number displayed is always of the highest number of a single power-up. So a power up that contains 2 big shots, and 1 spread, will be represented as an icon of big shot with a number 2. Using this system you can go into power-ups and attempt to "upgrade" them by increasing the number of individual power-ups that are contained with (and contained within those, ad infinitum). For instance, if you want more health, simply find a health power up, enter it, and then find more health power-ups once inside. Once you find the exit the "level" of that power-up will then be higher. As noted, you can theoretically do this indefinitely, adding an infinite number of "levels" to any power-up. Of course, they game compensates automatically by making everything harder the deeper you go.