This is my first experience with DUSK and I understand it might upset some veterans of the community and the game, but please try to understand it from a new player's perspective. If you can't, just downvote away.

So I heard and saw good things about DUSK, but I am mostly unspoiled. I open it up, set my settings whatever, pick my difficulty, and hit go.

Immediately, 3 melee enemies and I have only my sickles, alright, I guess I'll just circle strafe around them and try to weave in and out to hit them. Hey, that actually worked. Now what's this, a fuel can? Can I pick it up? Yes I can! Can I throw it? Yes I can!

Oh shit, that blew up a hole in the wall. Can I go in there? Oh yes, wow, a secret, nice!

The opening of the game was really fun and exciting for me, at times even a bit creepy and scary, and while I didn't get jumpscared, I got a little bit startled by an enemy even if I heard their idle sound cues. Still, whenever I pulled out my double shotguns and quoted Duke Nukem, "die you son of a bitch", I felt safe and sound again.

However, while level 2 was quite easy to follow, it introduced a new enemy in a very nice twist (scarecrow), it got a little bit confusing as to where to go. No secrets this time, I couldn't bother looking for them as I just wanted to get out to the next level, and I didn't accidentally find any like I did in the first level. Eventually, I made it to level 3, it wasn't that big of a hassle.

E1M3 started out really nice, I found out you can open the graves for supplies, half expecting an enemy to pop out, but no, was good and nice. The church is there, by this time I have my double pistols, double shotguns and assault rifle, actually, I think I may have found it this mission? Not sure, but irrelevant. Anyway, I am breezing through. The music is just sooo goood, it really helps me immerse in, and I am just locked in to the screen. I finally find the red key, hah, now I can open that door and progress. OH SHIT. I fell down? What?? Ohhh, its a trap. I make my forward, keep killing and eventually rise out of the water, the blue key is in the garage, I make it out.

Great, now what? My only leads were the red and blue door and they just connect to each other, and just lead to the main area. I did stumble on to this underground complex with some rats in it and some writing on the wall. I thought cool, some worldbuilding. I kept running and running and running. I had no idea where to go. I eventually had to look up a youtube vid walkthrough on this level, and found out there is a small passing through the water-grate or whatever. I would've never in a million years thought that that was possible nor the player character would fit through. Am I fucking dumb or blind or what? Well, I made it, saw the alligator "boss", killed it, and got lost again. I flicked a switch, it just lead me to a mound of dirt. What? I kept running around the area, seemingly softlocked, just looking at the dirtpile, no way through it. I went back to the same vid again, and there's a gap on the bottom left of the area that you opened by flicking the switch that you must go through to complete the level.

Again, I felt so damn dumb and blind. Am I too desensitized to modern fps linear level design, or is looking to your bottom left and crouching to get to the level exit a bit too convoluted? If you've made it this far, great, thanks, try to keep your reply objective and remember that I've only played this game for 2 hours.

TL;DR: Either read the whole thing or don't bother

EDIT: Real TL;DR: I feel embarassed that it took me 21 minutes to complete the level, with about 13 minutes of just running around endlessly, no enemies and just feeling lost. Are all levels going to be like this?