YMMV / Endless Ocean: Luminous

• Fridge Horror: Thanatos may not be trying to kill you this time around, but his updated model has left him significantly worse for wear compared to his appearance during the events of Blue World. One has to imagine how he ended up like that...
• Fridge Sadness: Phantom apparently left Valka Castle after the events of Blue World and has been wandering without purpose in the depths of the ocean since; the Creature Log also implies he doesn't put much effort into feeding himself and would rather continue to drift aimlessly through the water. If it's true he's Prince Valka's ghost, he may very well have somehow become a true Flying Dutchman, a clearly-agonizing fate in spite of his infamous reputation as a human. And if so... what happened in the Castle so long ago to doom him to this path?
• One-Scene Wonder: The Koolasuchus in the "Sounds of the Sea" trailer only appears for less than five seconds while out of focus and blocked by what appears to be a Megapiranha, but the replay statistics for the trailer's official upload indicate it to be the biggest highlight for viewers.
• Play the Game, Skip the Story: The original two games also had this reputation, particularly the first one, but Luminous gets hit with this rather hard due to its minimalist approach to narrative (even by this series's standards), lack of integration with the main gameplay due to it being a completely separate mode, and rather underwhelming objective variety, leading many to just play the story for the sake of getting the experience and spend most of their time in multiplayer dives.
• Quirky Work: Just like the first two games, particularly the first, Luminous was met with initial skepticism from critics due to just how unlike other games it is; there are no threats to the player, the story mode takes a backseat to just exploring the game's world, and the game as a whole is purely focused on just letting you explore and see what you find. As such, many professional reviewers found the game to be rather boring, echoing the reception of the original duology.
• Shocking Moments: After a 15 year gap between entries, and Nintendo's usual tendency to bring back dormant series by relying on remakes, few could've anticipated Arika and Nintendo would return to Endless Ocean with an all-new entry for the Nintendo Switch - especially one with minor roguelike elements and 30-player online. Oh, and it was announced out of the blue as the final reveal of a Partner Showcase, despite being published by Nintendo.
• That One Achievement: "Filthy Rich". Just like Blue World's "Seven-Seas Millionaire", you're tasked with earning a million of the game's currency. With so many expensive things to purchase in the customize menu, it can leave you stuck in the default equipment for a while.
• Unintentional Uncanny Valley: The preview trailer showcases a giant squid. Nothing unusual for this particular franchise, but it looks like it has human eyes that are depicted darting around in its travels.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: Much like the first two games, Luminous has a very, very strong visual style to it, particularly in regards to the creatures themselves. Many of the returning creatures have been given a visual upgrade, taking advantage of the limited hardware of the Switch.
  • Special mention goes to the environments when you find a particularly complex area. Coral reefs, seaweed jungles, and abyssal regions in particular look positively beautiful.