^ 6 chapters in now, and it is amazing. they've reworked a lot, so much so that it'd be a new game if it didn't retain the same basic ideas and story as the original. missions flow and interconnect differently but follow the same broad goals as before. there are new sideplots and new characters that integrate well. the ship layout is much more interconnected and feels like a more realistic (dead) space that you traverse through, rather than a sequential series of individual levels connected by a tram. you can backtrack to explore new areas and the clearance system makes it so that doing so usually rewards you. areas don't stay cleared and you can encounter fresh enemies, making for a constantly tense time. the combat is still fun and satisfying and varied, and there are some cool new mechanics. oh and it looks great of course, though Callisto Protocol was superior in that department (if only CP had had equally good combat...)
I do have some nitpicks. the new sound design: flatter and less rich compared to the original. in the original you could stand in a hallway and hear/feel the icy silence and ghostly whispers with the mix so well-tuned that they blended seamlessly. here it's much less subtle, there are voices practically in your ear saying sPoOpy things like "self-inflicted ocular injury". ok cool. some of the new voice acting from secondary characters is subpar compared to the original. the new Hammond in particular is really flat and boring compared to Peter Mensah, and the new Kyne doesn't have the manic delusional edge to him that made you wonder if he was going to go crazy on you or not (counterpoint: the new Mercer is fantastic). also, some of the running animations are a bit funny, like Isaac's head and shoulders wobble like a child running to the toilet in need of a poo. lastly, and probably the only example I have found so far of a reworked mechanic that is actually worse: the contact beam, weapon of choice for high risk/reward players, no longer makes sense to me.
that's a longer paragraph of whinging compared to the game's merits (in classic snotty idm fan fashion) but overall those are pretty small issues. this is a really fucking good remake.