Let's immediately skip the arguments that this is D&D so it has to play like D&D because then we'll never get anywhere. Each of us has a different definition of what D&D is.
Let's assume for a moment that they remove all combat rule changes. Will the game really get better then? Will the game be balanced? As for the latter, I can immediately say that it is not. The very changes in how rest works have crushed the whole balance, enormously strengthening rest classes. Even if you cut back somehow (unless you set a hard limit, but we all know Larian won't) you will still be able to rest several times more than you normally should. The system itself is broken from scratch and you can't fix it without making the game annoying.
