POE2 = POE Redux (Probably the nth one you've seen, but..)

So, this is POE2... A New game... and yet...
POE "1" - You start the game avoiding death by hurtling into the water, ending up on some unknown(?) shore and finding another survivor who gets killed by an undead, leaving you to kill the undead and garnering you your first weapon..

POE2 - You start the game avoiding death by NOT dying from hanging and escaping the ramparts and... hurling yourself into the water...
...and then arriving on a shore where another survivor... gets killed by an undead.. OH, but you auto-kill it, so that's um.. different?...

POE1, POE2 - You then find yourself wandering (linearly, if that's a word) towards the only civilized area in the ACT, that's guarded by your first "Boss mob"... OH, you want in? Spend your skill point, first, because after a few minutes in the game you should know EXACTLY where to put that first skill point, right?... *cough*

Anyway.. so you get into town and there's.. (checks checklist):
Melancholy female selling you magic craft items and baubles and potions. - Check
Hardy male who seems like they're tough and sells you armor and weapons. - Check
A scoundrel male who is, yet, friendly, and sells you random items - Check

You go through multiple zones following after items for quests, gaining items, levels, skill points until you hit the main "Final boss" and get your "newbie" butt handed to you...

So.. how is this a NEW game and not just a re-skin of POE1?

Also, did you really have to have EXACTLY THE SAME INTRO as POE1??

Were you that rushed or just couldn't come up with any really new ideas? Or you just like that assembly of particular tropes?

One thing different, for sure.. POE's ACT1 final boss didn't seem so OP as POE 2's does.. Or maybe it's more like I feel more UNDER-powered in POE2 than I did in POE?



TL;Dr - POE2 feels like POE1 trying to "Ascend" but just looks like a reskin..