i managed to get it to work; i didn't want this to sit with only a few ratings by the time voting ended!
getting it to work wasn't necessarily hard, it was just an extra step that i missed at first. that was my fault!
that aside, the gameplay itself was very difficult; though i did really appreciate the chill music and the text hints. if you pitch the music down just a bit in the menu, you end up with really good lo-fi beats. interesting option to have, haven't ever seen that before.
trying to move when your starting speed is insanely fast, but it decreases, means most of my speed would be burnt up trying to decelerate after my initial keypress. thankfully, watching four seasons of the expanse trained me well for flip and burn maneuvers, but it was still very tough to get the hang of, especially with how strange the camera can behave. nonetheless i can happily say i finally gave it a fair chance and enjoyed my time with it!