I've read some bad articles in my day... and this is one of the top ones.

Sadly soon this thread will be infested by same 5-6 people that always find a way to downplay anything Nintendo and say ridicilous things.

I should put some time aside to read this, but skirming it I find myself agreeing with quite a few points.
I'm not a fan of "objective" opinion articles, as it only invites irrational responses ("this article should be deleted"), and comparing BoTW to every other Zelda game makes the pace of reading glacial

I saw this thread when it has zero posts besides the OP. I just shrugged and went to bed. Not even worth it.

"The game is all about running around aimlessly with nothing unique to discover, no area-specific secret bosses, and overall very little progression."

Did the author accidentally play an Elder Scrolls or Fallout game instead? This is quite literally the descriptions best fitting both franchises.

Subjectivity is a problem here in that people don't understand it. They don't get that also the things they love about BOTW are very subjective as well. Actually, the only objective thing about any game is its technical prowess, or how well it is coded to work on any given platform. Everything else is up to the creative effort and choices made by the creators. Some people will like those choices and others won't.

I think Nintendo games are often reviewed inside of a bubble, as if they are separate from all other games on other platforms. This is actually true in a way, but it creates an effect where Nintendo games are reviewed in comparison to other Nintendo games, not so much against everything the market has to offer. That's my take on BOTW also. It's fairly good for a Nintendo game, but considering everything that's out there, it's by no means a 10. Very few games are, if any.

Two of his points seriously make me wonder if we even played the same game.

"The game is all about running around aimlessly with nothing unique to discover, no area-specific secret bosses, and overall very little progression. The only secrets or things to discover are shrines or Koroks, leaving the world with a profound lack of mystery. I don't understand why people complain about sailing in Wind Waker but suddenly love running around grassy plains and climbing rocks that take five times as long as sailing between islands did. Yes a game this size and length would be amazing if and only if it was rich with content all the way through, but it's not. Clocktown (from Majora's Mask) alone has more depth than the entirety of Breath of the Wild."

You can gather food, hunt, cook, talk to people, buy stuff, cook, fight enemies (also enemy camps, mini-bosses), discover the world, complete the map... It often takes me several hours to get  from point A to B, because I constantly get distracted since there are so many things to do.

"Like license-free stock music, the game is functional but doesn't have a beating heart behind it. Manufactured almost robotically with an understanding of structure, but no delivery or soul."

There aren't many games with as much soul and charm as BotW. From idyllic villages to beautiful sunsets, the atmosphere is always on point.

nothing to discover apart from shrines and koroks, and no progression whatsoever? wtf really, either we are talking about another game or this guy is still on the plateu or is fresh to open-world games and has nothing to compare, I don't have the patience/time to think and type and list of the things you can do/improve/discover in BotW at the moment

the "no delivery or soul" argument is completely personal and up to one's judgement and opinion so I accept that, but I agree with the majority of the reviewers, BotW is the most content rich Nintendo game, took the modern open-world formula and combined it with Nintendo's creativity, made it simpler while keeping most of the depth, and the result is the next best thing for gaming

For me, it doesn't feel like Zelda. Thats why I dont like it. That and weapon degradation which is shit in most games

yeap, my thoughts exacly