Pros:

- Endearing character interactions
- Gust Music
- Passage of time on returning faces
- Misc gameplay improvements

Cons:

- Disjointed level design (I felt like the map was a little too disconnected, it doesn't help that progression doesn't really feel that earned unlike the first game)
- Severe backtracking (Picking up "lore" in ruins after having already traversed said ruins is honestly a chore)
- Too reliant on "Tell don't show"
- Gatekeeping the truth until the very end
- Very short endgame
- Lack of secret super bosses (in the first game there were 2 available without needing to be in Post game, on the second game, there is no single super boss available, and actual hard content is behind a paywall, lol)
- 200 basket capacity (too little in contrast to how much items you can gather, especially as you unlock gathering upgrades, which is pace breaking when you're trying to explore)
- Mild Pacing Issues

This game is still very enjoyable, but there were too many things the first game did better that were lacking on this sequel, and that heavily hindered my enjoyment, there were also some other mechanics that were tediously overwhelming that felt like playing the anime version of Skyrim.