Disappointed with AAMFP

[VaeVictis]

An "unfamiliar experience" isn't the problem. The problem is that it bears little connection to original in terms of mechanics despite being marketed as the sequel.

People wanted more Amnesia, but they would have accepted some leeway. Say you remove the inventory, but make the puzzles more intricate and complex? Or you replace the sanity mechanic with needing to catch your breath after you've run from a monster?

Except that it was stated from the beginning that AMFP was going to be a distant sequel, meaning a few loose connections and within the same universe. The 'catching your breath thing' is an interesting idea, but I honestly don't think it would have stopped people from complaining without good reason.

At first, the rumbling in TDD seemed just atmospheric, but then when it became harsher and the flesh started to grow on the walls, you understood that it meant the Shadow was moving. It may not have been scary, but you knew what the purpose was.

In AMFP the noise doesn't mean anything to player other than "the machine is rumbling." So does my dryer, does that mean my dryer makes pig-people?

Sorry if I'm misreading your post, but are you not seeing the parallel between the Shadow and Machine, given your description? As you descend into the Machine, it becomes more menacing, especially in view of what Mandus discovers about the connection between himself and it.