I can't speak for other people, but the thing that drew me into this project was the thought of undersea exploration. I know I may be in the minority here, but the graphics quality is less important to me than the content within those graphics. If you can pull off an exploration scenario and it grabs my attention, you wouldn't need it to look perfect the first time around. Just the abyssal darkness of the sea combined with the occasional lights glowing in the distance and the ethereal mystery of the sea environment--strange plants and growths, bright colors, and hidden secrets all further mystified behind the glow of dim lights which taint the reflections of the things around them with their own color bias. With the right environment and a few well-applied shaders, you can skip past the high-polygon detailings and the wealth of details to come. In fact, secrets are great for a startup game because it means you can hint at things you haven't yet put in the work and money to design past the concept stage.
I like your gecko alien thing and I'm very curious to discover more about them. A big driver of that interest is the air of mystery about them. One tip I'd have is to make their guns look less like fancy guns and more like some alien device with no obvious purpose. A bit of obfuscation can enhance the air of mystery, and make the geckos even more tantalizing to the viewer.
But as always, that's just my opinion and may not reflect the opinions of others.
