How do we feel about Mortal Shell 2?

So, I've played through most of the new Mortal Shell 2 by now and have to say I'm really fighting how much I felt reminded of BFF at times as far as athmosphere, exploration and also sense of scale are concerned. I guess this will naturally contain some "spoilers" of what to expect in the world, so continue at your own peril, I suppose.

First off: athmosphere. While MS2 mostly (but not completely!) echews an overt "technical" scifi or industrial aesthetic that is prevalent in BFF, it also offers a unique style mix by blending very typical fantasy tropes with an almost Giger-esque Alien/body horror aesthetic, to great effect. The player "character" itself could be described as Giger's take on the "Mr. Gray" alien type. This "alien influence" manifests itself stronger the more the game progresses, with the locations and main dungeons becoming more alien and alienating themselves.

Exploration: much like BFF, MS2 has an interconnectivity between its areas that sometimes defies belief and would make for some even bigger "A-HA!" moments if it weren't for the readily available map screen (which is absolutely needed, though). Also, most areas rival Block Bunchanumbers for how much they loop around on themselves and how many ways they offer to reach a certain location within the area. There's almost always an alternative route. With all that said, the world itself feels much more as one "piece", as you can traverse from one end of the map to the other in both halves (you will have to return to the hub or warp between resting spots to go from the upper- to the lower half and vice versa, though). Also, both games reward that exploration by leading you to often curious findings (and not just some raggedy ass plant or herb, looking at you, FromSoft!).

Third: sense of scale. While not in an "omnistructure" (that we would know off), the game world reveals itself as being just a tiny speck on a vast, torn planet. The story beats reveal that ages ago, a giant, biomechanical and sentient spaceship crashed on the planet, the remnants of which basically founded the whole religion and culture on this planet. The hub itself is located in a tower that is just one giant bone of said alien spaceship. Everything you are and do connects to it. Gigantic pieces of it can be seen littering the surface in the far distance. The game world itself exists on a multitude of high reaching spires and plateaus, separated by gigantic and seemingly endless chasms, connected by rope bridges or jump gates. In the later parts of the game you will encounter enormous, monolithic and clearly alien structures and enter dungeons that will lead you into a void between the stars themselves, even injecting dosages of cosmic horror.

Of course, there's also many differences that might throw dedicated BFF players off, and I'm not suggesting that this game is for everyone who loved BFF, but I'm suggesting you should at least have a look. The Beta is still freely available, and while it mostly firmly remains in the "classic fantasy" realm, you already get glimpses of the "otherness" embedded in this game.

So, what's everyone else's take? Did you play it? Did you enjoy it? Do you agree of disagree with my points? Feel free to weigh in. It would be nice to have an actual discussion going here.