Really enjoying returning to the game - some positive feedback

I wanted to say how much I'm enjoying my return to the game. Early Access is a tricky beast because it's not defined. It's impossible to know how finished a game is when you agree to take part so while I very much enjoyed the game at Early Access launch, I stopped playing to wait for the Rebuilt overhaul and waited with some trepidation.

It's early days in my new playthrough but what an improvement! The storyline is very welcome, and I'm so pleased the mystery and lore of the game hasn't been stripped away. My original excitement for Nightingale was partly due to 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' by Susanna Clarke, which is one of my favourite books, as well as the authors Clarke draws upon (Austen & Dickens particularly), and I'm also a huge fan of the Edwardian/Victorian adventure/sci-fi/fantasy novels - Conan Doyle, Wells, Verne, Stephenson, Shelley etc. Nightingale is so clearly influenced by these books and I can't think of another game like it. So I'm rooting for the game to succeed but I'd be really sad if the story/world were flattened out because people found the gameplay too puzzling or slow. I was worried initially that Puck was demoted to friendly guide, but I'm pleased to see he is still something of an enigma. I hope his motives remain an uncomfortable mystery to us for a while yet. He's such a great character and Mark Warren is fantastic.

I love how survival/crafting now support the story, and the story adds a reason to slow down and enjoy the journey. I don't want to rush to the end, I want to savor the world and having more reason to do that is all to the good.

Some things I hope will improve further - like many I'd love more options in the building system - and I'd love my character's stance to be less hunched, particularly for my ladies. However this post is for sharing my delight at playing again and finding the game so improved and wonderfilled. I'm looking forward to discovering more of the world and story, and I can't wait to see how Nightingale continues to develop and grow.