Yeah, I completely understand people who are upset because it's a different Laura. They're right, it's definitely not the shy shota hunter from the old storyline. The problem is the MC was never a "shota", he's David Bowie, so the plot never really made much sense nor was that in itself a very interesting concept (and I say that as someone who loves /ss/ games).
Laura is definitely a new character, but it's a good change. New Laura also ties together all the separate family storylines - something I honestly never expected to happen except in some very half-arsed manner.