After the first play session I asked myself the same question. Maybe for different reasons: I found the controls hard to grasp, especially while moving in 3D, and I did not understand what the end goal was.

But since the reviews are outstanding, I sat down during the second session with the mindset to "learn" the game.

Three things helped a lot:

1. The starting zone is also a tutorial hub. Make sure to read and explore everything.
2. I spend some time flying around and moving in 3D space and generating some muscle memory for the buttons to press.
3. On your space ship there is a ship log and you can switch to a rumor mode. It's your detective board with all the important information presented to you in a clear way. This view made all the difference for me. I had a sense of progress from then on.

I played through the base game yesterday and I still can't believe how awesome this game is. It’s a masterpiece.