Is this game difficult to get into as a beginner?

Depends how well you handle criticism, because it's inevitable that someone is going to trash talk and rage. At the end of the day, you are probably never going to see your team again after that game anyway.

In exact contrast to Zelkova, I played almost every game solo queue leveling to 30.

This game is only difficult if you don't take the effort to ask around/spectate/watch streams. It gets a lot easier (information-wise) over time.

Just ask. I sincerely doubt any veteran of this game will refuse to help a newcomer.