It's...interesting seeing this conversation. Go back to those HHN29 threads and people are talking about how the event feels less scary, how it feels like it's all comedy, campy, or even "kiddy" IP like Klowns, Ghostbusters, Stranger Things. Talking about how much of a whiff houses and zones like Depths and Anarcade were. I don't even necessarily agree with any of those opinions myself, but I think there definitely is an extent to where a bit of this conversation is coming from nostalgia for an event where you were a beginner and didn't have as much to compare to.
I think years like 31 have had much stronger thematic identities, and 28 had much stronger houses and zones than 29; but that's just my personal taste. I definitely don't think anything has been lost in the time since 2019, the event felt equally sanitized then too frankly. It's not a bad thing per se, it's just what HHN is nowadays.
In the end, while last year was definitively off-beat and all over the place in terms of quality and theming, I think it's a little silly to lament the loss of an event that is largely the exact same as we have now. I firmly believe guests walking into 33 as their first HHN will have the same longing for it in five years time, and the loop will continue.