I enjoyed the first instalment and looked forward to this one. It did not disappoint! The game assumes that you don't need to have your hand held all the time and while you get some hints (especially early game) you need to do a fair amount of independent exploration to progress. While I did look some hints up I was able to find a lot on my own. Making use of beacons can be a huge time saver!
All my favourite elements from the first were brought back (base building brings me MUCH joy) along with the same scary bits (nothing more terrifying than suddenly being eaten by a beastie you didn't know was behind you lol)
As with the previous game, if you are stuck.....upgrade everything you can and GO DEEPER. The solution will be deeper. Be ready to spend plenty of time travelling between your base and the rest of the map. Some people do multiple bases but I always found that what I needed was in the OTHER base.
The end of this game was mind blowing, and I loved it. If they don't make a 3rd instalment to continue this story I will be VERY bummed.