There's as much or as little story as you want. You can go around collecting tidbits here and there and helping people or you can just wandering aimlessly.

You can get stonger. In fact, a certain important event depends on how strong you are. Also, in what I think is a characteristic of the best games, you're going to have access to almost all of the best abilities early on. You're just going to become more and more creative and efficient in the way that you use them. The more you think "I wonder if this will work..." A the better you'll be. Link will get stonger but you as a player are going to grow, too.

And that's all I'll say. Go into it cold with as little knowledge as possible and holler at me in a month. You'll love it!

Can Link become stronger?: Yes, in many ways. But one of it is you getting better. Which is why one island strips you of your gear and gives you a trial. You can naturally stay away from it, if you don't like it.

Is there a good story? Very subjective. BOTW doesn't force a story on you, not much cutscenes or obligatory quests. Very early on you get the quest: Kill Ganon, which is the goal of the game. But there is a lot to discover in the game, including remnants of past events, side quests and so on. This will paint a story, if you let it. So, some like it, some not.

Someone not joining the mass so he can feel special about himself making the game look worse than it is by only pointing out the negative.

What else is new?

Thanks both for the info! I'm looking forward to playing it! 

I don't think the author is saying that there's anything wrong with people loving the game, or that the people that do are wrong. But he does have a couple of good points. Namely, that the game is actually pretty deeply flawed in a number of ways, and that there is a sizable group of people who turn into Piranhas any time someone says anything negative about the game.

This thread is a great example of that second point. He's a hater, he didn't actually play the game, this article is just clickbait, if you don't love the game you're wrong, ect, ect. It's just silly.

That island is a point in the game where you realize how much stronger you have gotten. It's slow and subtle the gains you make. Not like a typical RPG where you have flat out stats and see dps go up and so on.

But you go on an island and are stripped back to how you were in the beginning of the game (except hearts/stamina) and it is at this point that without all your upgraded armor/weapons/ect that you realize that you have become stronger or better at the game in huge ways. Enemies before that were 1 shotting you on the Plateau you are taking down in groups without fear. Sub-bosses aren't even a scary prospect, more an excitement of how can I beat this monster while naked and only a shovel.

I've yet to get the DLC, but I will. I'm excited to try the Master Sword trials, as that whole thing seems like an expanded harder version of that one small island.

It's not overrated, it's rated.

I agree with what the OP quoted yet I have to disagree with my agreement. IE: it's true that most (in fact, an insane majority due to their number) of the "rewards" for exploring are just Korok Seeds and Shrines. But the truth is that many (in fact, most) of the other rewards of exploration and progression are overshadowed by these. I mean... yes, what I clearly recall from my over-200-hours in BoTW, in terms of findings, is discovering a Shrine at the top of a mountain, or in a cave, or as the "final reward" for completing a sidequest. But if I think a little deeper I also notice that finding the 3 Lomi Labyrinths was also a reward itself. And completing them (finding my path to their end) was a reward on its own too. And the armor pieces I found in there were also nice rewards. And also, finding the Akkala Laboratory and the chance to forge my own ancient weapons was also extremely rewarding. Even finding a new Lynel location was rewarding, as was defeating them (and getting their equipment and parts as "rewards"). First time I encountered (and helped) a dragon was incredibly rewarding too. As was finding a new Fairy Fountain and getting for it the hability to upgrade my gear (or to revive my horse). Speaking of horses, the horse gear from completing that "horseback archery" minigame I discovered while exploring the south of Hyrule was an extremely cool reward (althoug some stats increasing attached to it would have been nice too). I could go on with the rewarding feeling of finding a new race or village, or a new sidequest, or the Monster Shop, but i think I've already make it clear that the authors perspective here is a little reductionist.

What I mean... Is that by any means is BoTW an "empty" game, or one that only gives monotonous rewards for the time you invest in it. I often found myself thinking how cool would have been to have this or that here and there, and wishing they include many new things in the DLC (more varied enemies, better bosses, more resistant and unique weapons and equipement, etc.), but that didn't make the base game less of a masterpiece, because what it offers is already way more than what many other games, both open and linear, offer. And I've come to see that, yes, other games throw dozens of "material" rewards at you for completing this or that* but, where BoTW sets, again, the difference with any other previos games is that the reward is not the item itself but, as someone mentioned here, the experience. The rewarding feeling of having conquered a summit, a bottom or the end of a maze while giving your best (in terms of orientation, deductive/inductive thinking, puzzle solving, combat skills, etc.) to complete the challenge they throw at you. The Shrine at the top of the peak is not the reward. Having been able to get there is. The Orb for solving the puzzle inside the Shrine is not the reward; having solved it is. And, during that time, all the weapons, monster parts, etc. you've find, add to it.

So... After my initial agreement, I have to disagree with the author of the article for I've seen that his conclusions are based in a very simple and superficial analysis of the game.

P.S.: There is one thing where I strongly agree with the article, and it is in the need of area-specific minibosses and enemies. I loved every enemy and miniboss (specially Lynels), but it would have been better to find beach/mountain/forest/desert specific creatures rather than have colour/elemental-based variations of the same Bokos, Molblins, Lizalfos and Wizzrobes.

* In fact, in some cases, WAY too many; I'm now playing The Witcher 3 and I've spent the last 20 ours with the same Griffin/Feline set, not caring anymore about the hundreds of "special" weapons and armors I found everywhere, as happes with other RPG like Skyrim, Fallout, Dragon's Dogma, etc. because, at some point, new "material" rewards just became pointless.

You know a games good when 5 months later people are still trying to argue that it's overrated. I'm pretty sure all that's left of this horse is dust.