Try easier mode if you haven’t – it just spawns less enemies and so you should be able to get your bearings a little better. I sort of lay it on thick, even from the start.
I might default to the easier difficulty in the patch where I implement the tutorial. I think people won’t shy away from turning difficulty up if that’s what they want, but they will stubbornly refrain turn it down.
And yeah, the powerup system is basically not intuitive at all and requires reading, which is why I think it needs tutorialized.
If you’re using the simple controls, that might explain why you’re running into things (since they make you run away from something to shoot at it, which is opposite of most game). I did consider a toggle for that too. I’m finding it tough to find the right line between being prescriptive and providing options.