I got it solved! Once I got a tip in the discord to go ham with making farms and huts, I was able to beat it on the first (re)try.
Before I got this tip I was going until overrun and that happened before getting the first orb or just after getting it. I wasn't able to keep my first mine for long.
I think rather than dialing back the difficulty, it be better to introduce parts of the game in stages? Not sure how games are made so I realize that might be a silly suggestion. I love your stuff btw. Great games.