The divine beasts were great, very creative stuff, different from all the dungeons we have seen in the franchise till now and the shrines fit perfectly with the concept of the game, a game way more focused on the outside exploration, I really think they completely nailed it, I can't help but feel people complain cause they are used to a different formula but this one works perfectly. I wouldn't mind to see more "classic" dungeons in the next one, but I don't think the lack of them was a flaw at all.

 What I like about the divine beats is that you have to have spacial awareness of where you are in relation to the dungeon in order to complete them. 

Yeah I loved that, it felt different from the "classic" dungeons of the franchise, and thats something I loved about BoTW, after so many years with the same kind of formula this game feels so different in every aspect while you can still feel is Zelda, very refreshing game.

I guess I would agree, if Zelda had a standard formula to begin with. However, a standard formula would need to be set with at least 2 games. If we're looking at the first two Zelda games, they are drastically different from each other. So, what exactly constitutes as Zelda by then was based more on common themes rather than pure gameplay.

Breath of the Wild follows the template of the original very closely, and since that game was one of my favourite of all time, I think Breath is both marvellous and the most true Zelda experience since ‘87.  If you feel Zelda should follow the item/dungeon/puzzle template of the OoT era, yes, BotW is different. Personally I think the newest game is vastly superior.

The dungeons remain my biggest problem with the game too, and why I don't tend to think as highly of the game as many others. All the open world changes are great, but when that takes away from what has always been my favourite aspect of the series, it's disappointing for me.

Dammit, yet another user who tells me to play the first Zelda. Should have done so before making this thread it seems.

BotW is the best Zelda game there is.

I agree there is room for improvement. But the throw back to Zelda 1 structure is the right direction to take I think.

I've been hoping for Nintendo to do that for quite a few titles now. And now that they've done so, I'm, hoping they stick to that for a while and polish that design over the next few titles.

I have mixed feelings with the game as well

The game itself is good, but the problem I have with overworlds is that you just end up wandering around doing nothing. There is definitely a lot to explore, but a lot of shrines require completing a quest and isn't found by just exploring. The shrine trials can be neat but I agree that the main dungeons themselves aren't as good or creative

On the other hand, I don't really mind that this game isn't a traditional Zelda, since a Breath of fresh air is welcoming for a series that is already this old. Taking risks and it paying off is pretty good to see, which is something like Pokemon or 2D Mario needs to have.

I need to beat the game :p