people liking one game in the genre is a very poor predictor of whether they’ll like another one

I love survival/building games, and so do most of my friends. Even the terrible ones are usually fun. So I’d posit that it’s the opposite with a caveat: liking one for more than its story means you’ll enjoy the others.

I think it’s more indicative of games/hobbies as a whole than the survival genre specifically. People who love the adrenaline of a motorcycle may not enjoy the thrill of going down a mile high mountain on two thin sticks, IF it was the rumble of the engine beneath them that they actually enjoyed. If it was the rush of the speed though (or in the case of survival/building games, the exploration and struggle to stay alive and not lose your stuff), then they’ll likely enjoy the other adrenaline sports.