This was a really cool game with a great 3D artstyle!
Despite the text the explains the game in the beginning, a menu that lets you reference that information again and contextual overlays (Like a text pop-up saying "Press E to Descend" on the ladder) would go a LONG way for player comprehension.
Also, I understand and appreciate the reasoning behind the map system, but I've always struggled with navigation in games so not being able to see my position on the map didn't make me anxious, it made me frustrated lol.