*some* reviews are saying that. And what they don't realize is in a world of Rocket League, Overwatch, Rainbow Six: Siege... etc. Where games are driven by experience even with the small amount of actual story there is absolutely a place for SoT in the gaming world. Lets break these down:
Rocket League: It's literally the exact same game every time you play a match, but they do have different modes. Everything you play for is purely cosmetic.
Overwatch: Again - literally every game is exactly the same thing over and over just on a different map. Also again - everything you play for is purely cosmetic.
Rainbow Six: Siege: Its basically a more realistic Overwatch but came out first so I should say Overwatch is a more cartoon R6:S. However with how Ubi worked their magic you actually play (or pay) to unlock new characters. But you are at no disadvantage by having less characters unlocked. After that - its all cosmetic.
Sea of Thieves: So here we are, another online game where your goal is to amass coin and buy things in-game that are purely cosmetic. But its at least original enough to where you are not just straight up Vs. other people. It has a slight MMO feel to it as you see other pirates sailing around collecting skulls, chests and chickens to sell them for coin. Do you dare go interact with them? Will they be friendly? Or just avoid them. The gameplay is really unique.
What all these games have in common though is that there isn't much to the gameplay. All of them are simple but they are all driven by community and in-game (sometimes real) currency to upgrade your looks. I remember when R6:S first came out the reviewers hated it. Its ratings are in the low 70's on Metacritic however the game is still relevant and has been gaining in popularity for years. Its going strong and is in the beginning of its year 3 season.
I personally think for games like this reviewers rush to get their reviews in. Yeah, if you start playing SoT and hate it, your opinion probably wont change. If you are intrigued by it I think you need to spend time with it. Not just a couple days so you can get your review to the masses. Right now it does seem a little thin in content. But that's another thing all these games have in common when they first came out. Heck in RL there was a time you could change the paint, hat, wheels and antenna now you have all kind of things you can customize like wheel-tail, engine sound, goal explosion, gamertag plate.
I don't think SoT was made as a game to be what it is on launch day and for that, its going to mess up the reviews. It's a game where if someone is interested, they NEED to play it and not rely on someone else's word. The type of friends you have, if you will play solo, how much time you are willing to invest in it or if you think you will enjoy it now and come back later to see how its progressed will all be factors. But I definitely put it in this new category of games that are just fun to play with cosmetic content being the big driver of the gameplay.
So that's my review
And I am loving the game. I have so many funny / fun stories from just playing for a few days.