From what I remember of my initial comments playing Episode 1, the missions and aesthetics were stellar as usual. Some of the missions, the asteroid one in particular, were very much designed with multiple playthroughs in mind. I'm kind of torn on those missions because while they have a ton of depth, I hate feeling overwhelmed with new mechanics. It keeps things fresh, but again, I'm split on it.
The only story comments I have were that the story seems to be a slower burn this time, which is great for setting the tone and pacing, bad for someone impatient like me who wants to know how a story ends.
But obviously a lot of thought and love went into the characters, world, and the ships.