Also have to take into account that the early 8-bit systems from Japan were often marketed towards children in the US. They would ramp up the difficulty of games - which were usually too expensive for kids to purchase on their own - to bring more longevity and perceived value. Games were viewed as expensive at a time where “Kill your television” was a common mantra, when parents wanted their kids playing outside as much as possible, and the consequences of Reagonomics was coming into full effect.

So Nintendo played it safe for a very long time (even more than they do now) and still got a lot of pushback and flack from conservative parents.