I thought for sure this was going to be one of those times where my memory of it being really hard wasn't going to hold up but man, was I wrong. It's nothing to do with the game's mechanics being hard to grasp or game feel. The rubberbanding ai is just not afraid to push you in the dirt and make you cry. I kept telling myself I hated it when this happened but then I just kept playing until I got it right.
I do however kind of question the way the story campaign is paced. You basically play the hero campaign for 6 stages, then the babylon for the 6 stages' variant. The last 2 stages of each have a sharp increase in difficulty. I'm not against it on paper but I think if you just alternated the campaign perspective and literally just treated as act 1/act 2 thing, it would've eased players into it better. It was pretty funny after all that struggle, the final boss was a complete push over.
I'm gonna be honest, I think the best way to enjoy this game is just grab a 100% save file so you have all the unlocks and then play in free play. That way while you're learning the stages and mechanics you can go "Oh cool, I got 3rd. I bet I'll do better next time" instead of regretting your slightest imperfections as the game stops dead in it's tracks as a big fat "Failure" notification comes on screen as the turbulence sound washes over you.