What's also frustrating is not knowing if I've walked into an area that is hard because I'm not really supposed to be there yet or if it's hard because I'm just trash at the game. I ran in circles for way too long at the start of the game because I kept thinking I was going the wrong way due to entering a different named zone without finding any objective in the first zone and also due to the enemies in that new zone feeling awkward to fight, like I was missing an ability.

That's kind of just how the genre is. You don't really know where to go and what to do, that's part of what makes it magical. You just explore. If you hit a dead end you turn around and go somewhere else. If you get to a spot that's really hard it's up to you whether you want to push on or look around elsewhere. That's why I turned around when I saw the big guard, I figured I have easier places to check out first. And then I found new zones and new abilities and stuff and then I went back.