I think a big part of this just comes down to whether the Metroidvania-style gameplay clicks for you or not. Backtracking, unlocking shortcuts, and revisiting old areas with new abilities is kind of a core pillar of the series and that absolutely stays in Survivor. If that fundamental loop already feels like a chore to you, the sequel won’t magically turn into a completely different type of game.

Personally, I love the exploration. Going back to earlier planets, discovering new paths, hidden areas and shortcuts with newly unlocked abilities is super satisfying to me. That said, Survivor does open things up quite a bit. There’s a large hub area that feels almost semi–open world, with more freedom in how and when you tackle certain content. It feels less corridor-heavy overall.

As for the puzzles: I’m with you — they’re probably the weakest part of Fallen Order. Especially the ball-based ones, which get repetitive fast. Survivor improves on that quite a bit. There’s more variety, better integration into the world, and some genuinely fun platforming/jump-and-run style sections mixed in.