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I gave up on the game this week after completing the Escape level only to find myself unable to progress due to a glitch. Took me hours and multiple attempts to complete that level, only to be thrown back to the main screen and forced to do it again was the final straw for me. I can't even just "continue game" from the main menu because of another game breaking bug that always throws me back to Sanctum (another level I had to complete three times due to glitches).
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For me the Escape level turned out surprisingly easy. I anticipated it to be pure hell from the moment I saw it in Lanning's interview but actually made it with no mudokon deaths and with just about ten restarts most of which were on the flying mine section. However, I had a glitch on Sanctum. At the end screen I pressed continue but got thrown back to the beginning of the level. Maybe it had something to do with me loading the level from the 'choose level' menu rather than by pressing continue. Or I could've just pressed a wrong key. The PC version still has gamepad keys indication in all the menus.
I've got to FeeCo freight yards by now and... yeah. Glitches aside, the game does look rushed. On the one hand, there are awesome well-detailed assets and grandiose scenery but on the other hand, many places look as if they were thrown together with no final revision. I understand that nothing is perfect and it's usually not possible to polish a product to perfection but in this case there seem to be too many rough places. This game took 6 years to develop after all.
Here are some of the problems ordered by frequency: awkwardly intersecting objects (both static and animated), over-stretched textures on close-up geometry, meshes with missing planes, low-poly rocks close-up, Z-fighting. I'd also say the generic industrial walkway and generic stone walkway assets are over-used, as well as some doorway assets. It's a relatively small thing but still begs to be dealt with.
Also, while some places are rich in details other look too empty. For example, take FeeCo depot. The walls, the walkways, the ornaments - they're an eye-candy. I especially like the big mudokon ornaments on the walls. However, the level looks kind of empty, hovering over the 'void'. I understand this is probably due to optimization reasons but still I think something could've done with it. Maybe adding some wall structures and visually separating areas to keep less assets loaded for certain sections could've done the trick.
There are also moments at the end of Slig Barracks and Necrum where the train very noticeably intersects with the surrounding structures and visibly rides into the draw distance 'screen'. It makes a rather stark contrast with all the attention to detail put into the train itself.
Those are all more or less small things by themselves but they do add up and eventyally cross the theshold between ''the game has occasional rough places but no big deal" and "the game definitely needs good polishing".
As for the gameplay, I'm really surprised to say I enjoy it much. At least so far. The only decision I definitely don't like is how the secret on the Blimp level was designed. Otherwise, I'm happy with the new mechanics. I'd re-iterate that they blend well with the old-style gameplay and game design. At least for me.