What really sells this game? I bought it and got through the prologue and a bit of chapter 1 and don't see why it has so much popularity? It seems very okay so far but nothing amazing. Loads of unnecessary dialog.
It’s a loop. Identify what the restaurant needs, what your mission needs, and what the eco society wants you to collect. Make movie, move the story along, and obtain bracelets from the eco group. Use money to upgrade gear and buy accessories. Dive deeper, for longer, and take down bigger fish. Repeat.
The game doesn't get much better if you don't already like it. I was like you, but kept playing over 30 hours because I'm a sucker for Atlantis content. I'm honestly baffled how well it's being received. By the time I quit playing (I didn't even finish it after all) the sushi restaurant sections were nothing more than me cleaning dishes and grating wasabi. It was like I demoted myself by hiring better staff, with no way to upgrade my own serving abilities provided by the game. The fish farming didn't satisfy me at all either, it was just a menu that I needed to spend time in, you didn't have to actually do any farming at all. You can't aim up or down and it makes no sense and drove me insane. I haven't played the full release so maybe everything is fixed, but the plot ended up being so basic I couldn't motivate myself to bother anymore.
It's really pretty, though. Great unique style, and the animated sushi cooking cutscenes are fantastically done. I just wish it was more fun to play for me.