I don't really agree. I have seen plenty of player groups very hyped by what they saw when starting the game. This immersed them very quickly into the adventure and transmitted the feeling of urgency where a slow opening would have had more difficulty to. I don't feel like a slow opening would have fitted such narrative.
A feeling of urgency which is soon displaced by "don't worry, the tadpole doesn't affect you or your companions on the same way it does everyone else (without explaining why) so feel free to go about your merry business". Which in my humble opinion is not an example of particularly good or immersive writing. Horses for courses though, as they say.
In a sense though, you nailed it with the word 'hype' because I feel the game has an awful lot of that surface level appeal (the cinematics, voiced dialogue etc.) but for some, once you scratch beneath the glossy surface it is a bit lacking.
