User blog comment:ForensicArsonist/I'm in love/@comment-39563968-20190523172716

Arsonist, based on your description of what you like about this game, there is an older WII adventure that you will LOVE. (Unfortunately, I don't know if it was ever available for other consoles - definitely was not on PC.)

Endless Ocean: Blue World. Diving adventure / mystery (on Earth). For a 9+ year old game, surprisingly fine graphics. Multiple dive locations around the globe, each quite extensive (think - "as big as a larger SN biome"). Intriguing, somewhat mystic, mystery arc across the entire game. Lotsa dive gadgets. Side quest of collecting data of/ identifying LOTS of marine species (including perhaps a myth or two). Side game of public aquarium collection building. Side game of tropical sub-surface ecological garden building.

Actually, the presentation and thematic similarities to SN are so strong that I have wondered if EO:BW was an influence on the SN designers.

Look it up online. But I warn you, just like SN, the images and trailers do NOT do it justice.

Honestly, after I played EO:BW (the first time), I considered that it had by itself justified buying the WII for my son.

PS - There is also an earlier Endless Ocean game, but it is much smaller and rather less developed than EO:BW, and the two are not plot linked.