Thank you for playing! :) I agree that the instructions should be more clear, perhaps I'll even clarify the weapon switching mechanic on the itch page. The laser is certainly a "late game" weapon, it isn't really worth using until you have 200+ reserve power and enough enemies on screen to feed on.
I am glad that you took the time to learn the mechanics and adapt to the control scheme. I know that a steep learning curve is a lot to ask in a jam game, so it means a lot that you powered through enough to learn some of the ins and outs.