lore-wise joel's addition to hermitcraft is a big thing all around, but it's particularly interesting to me to watch his interactions with non-lifers. to see the difference in the relationships formed not only under threat but always under threat from that very person, as opposed to relationships formed in a permanent peacetime. like on the one hand you have people who have seen him in 3rd life, in last life, seen what he's like all bloody and lonely and red. and then you have people who just met him recently and only saw someone they found interesting and decided to make a friend. people for whom attachment does not hold the same weight it does for joel, the same weight it does inside a life game. it's the difference of forming relationships during a time of trauma, and forming relationships when in the process of healing.
and remember how i said joel's biggest thing in the life series is how he strives to hold on to his humanity? well, all things considered, i'd say hermitcraft is as human as you could get. i think he's found what he's been looking for this whole time.