I was tempted to invest in that crowd funder too, but didn't in the end because I wasn't sure they'd be able to deliver in fans wishes/expectations. Deserts of Kharak was perfectly serviceable, but also lacking something.
I'm always more interested in reading user reviews for a series like this than your typical review outlets (unless their staffer is a critical fan) because this game is aiming to appeal to a very, very specific set of people (of which I'm one, ever since I bought the Remastered Collection). This chimes with a lot of the user reviews on Steam, especially about the story being a departure in tone compared to the first two games. I haven't had the time or motivation to play it yet and tbh some of the user reviews I've read have tempered my enthusiasm to jump in.