oof, that's rough. If you don't like the setting, you're going to automatically start off on the wrong food. I LOVE anything Science Fiction and Fantasy, but Science Fiction is probably my favorite genre period, so it's easy for me to get into it. Putting the difficulty to maximum would definitely make the stakes seem higher could work maybe? I used to have to use mods for Skyrim to make combat deadly for everyone, me and npcs. one or two hits was all it took if you weren't paying attention. That would make the game more tactical, but I'm not sure if that's what would help you enjoy it though.
