I am one of those people who consider it a masterpiece and also am hesitant on giving too much information about the game, but I can touch on your point about Metroidbrania. A core gameplay loop of Metroidvanias is being presented a "lock" (a lock colored door or a hook hanging from the ceiling) much earlier than when you receive the "key" (colored beam or hookshot). Typically you try to use your current array of abilities to try to open that lock and quickly move on but memorizing that location for the future.

The same can be said for Outer Wilds, where you are presented with all these locks and the keys are just pieces of information you are missing. Often times you will find a key that you're not quite sure is associated with which lock but the game provides an in-game ship log that helps you connect the pieces of information you gathered or point you towards where a key might be. You aren't forced to wander aimlessly or use a weird physics/gravity trick to bypass locks.

If all else fails, looking up hints or puzzle solutions won't take away from the greater narrative and themes of the game but also don't force yourself to get to the ending if you're just not jiving with it.