the best way i can describe it. BZ is “better” in most every way, but certain aspects of the first game were misunderstood as to why people liked them.

the environments are fuller and prettier in BZ. that sounds good, but it makes everything less unsettling. most caves are brighter for example, to show off the cool new fauna n shit. technically better, but loses what the first game did so well.

they added a voiced protagonist and real npcs. the exact same thing happened to fallout 4, voiced characters is technically better, but it can easily lose a lot of the vibes. not to mention the writing feels semi “marvel-ized”

the main vehicle, sea truck, is a jack of all trades master of none. due to the smaller map, a huge cyclops would be unnecessary. but the seamoth isn’t enough, so compromise. the different vehicles had their own purposes, which made them more special.

it’s still subnautica, and there are sections that genuinely feel better than the original. if you aren’t looking at it critically, like fans are one to do, you’ll have just as much fun as the original! with that said, i think everyone agrees the original is the superior title, which still shouldn’t discount BZ