I most definitely enjoyed my time with Echoes more than with it's predecessor, even if this one comes with it's own set of problems. As has been said many times before, the game is really hard to navigate. The environments feel samey and the light-dark world format doesn't really help with that. The gameplay is more refined in every way though and ultimately that's why I like this one more than the first. It's just Prime but refined and with a worse world.
Oh, and it's still a metroidvania. I have a personal distaste for these.