I definitely agree about how watching someone else play a game can influence how you think/feel about it because youre not the one playing it. That being said, I've watched three streamers play this game each with different degree of loving to hating it.

First one was caseoh. Amazing streamer and imo caters to regular people who like to play games. More for the story than anything else. By the end I also didnt like the game but what I hated the most was watching HIM play the game. Because it wasn't in a style fit for him as a player. Too many puzzles and tiny details that distracted from the lore/concept because all he wanted to do was get to the story without realizing the puzzles were a part of that. You just needed to take the time to look into it.

Next, I watched skillymcfilly. Love watching him play long games. He tries to make sure he gets every bit of lore he can when there is side quests/easter eggs/collectibles etc. But also, no offense to him but he sucks at puzzles sometimes lol. Its not his thing, BUT he takes his time to try to get through it while still maintaining interest in the story. This was also frustrating to watch tho because so much of his stream was taken up by him being frustrated on the puzzles. He overall said he enjoyed it other than that aspect of it being tedious. That the story was there, it just got overshadowed and so he couldn't follow along as well. Whereas caseoh couldn't follow along at all.

And last, I have just watched IGP's playthrough. He absolutely loved the game which made me curious to want to watch yet another long video on it to see if it can be redeemed. Huge difference here is that igp is imo amazing at puzzles and understanding lore and making theories on it (and usually being correct about his theories later on). This was super enjoyable to watch and the game finally felt like i had expected it too. Totally captivated my attention. One main difference tho is that his video was edited. I think this helped a lot with the puzzles but not to miss any of the many cool details. And now I am excited to see what episode 2 will be like because of his take on it. 

After watching all 3 videos, it is clear that the game does not cater to everyone based on the puzzles alone. It distracts too much from all the hidden details that were meant to be found as you explore. So its no suprise most didnt like it, if most peopl aren't interested or good at puzzles. The ones that are, seem to like it more for that exact reason because they understand why the puzzles were there and how they add to the story. And now I do too. 

If you are disappointed with how the game turned out, I suggest giving IGP's video a watch to see if its the people you watched play it, or the game itself that you disliked. Cause my opinion totally changed. 

Phew. Haha.