Thank you so much for this entertaining story-based review! You made me laugh with the peanut part :-D
Going in blind - uff, I think game tutorial isn't quite there yet, have you chosen "Start with tutorial" ? Or you went in blindly blind?
Yeah, the axe is your best friend in almost all situations - it is for sure the most versatile tool/weapon you can craft atm. Have you found the Crafting menu? Just by looking at it, would it be clear to you what is needed to craft an axe? One of the improvements I did: Tape now can be found early, it was too rare before that.
Hope your next run will be more successful - the game page is giving a good overview, might be worth a quick reading ;-)
For the streamlined approach I would like to contact you again, if that's okay with you. It is a great idea! Making all decisions by my own doesn't feel optimal at all.