(Warning! Potentially autistic post incoming)
Indeed, given that there is a ton more things that I didn't mention beyond that.
You don't want to engage in the combat because the weapon durability actively discourages you from doing so since its just not worth it, and the combat system isn't that deep on a technical level once you get past all the little funny shit you can do to Moblins (like rolling logs into them).
I never understood this complaint. The weapon durability had the opposite effect on me, as I was actually seeking out enemies, not just to find more weapons, but also to experiment with the many different ways you could tackle each combat encounter. Rolling logs into Moblins is barely scratching the surface of how you can deal with the enemies, as I've seen some incredible videos of players who've managed to pull of things rivalling the feats seen in action games like Devil May Cry. If you found the combat shallow, I hate to say it, but's all on you for not digging deeper and instead just running from each encounter (even though that too is a viable option I admit).
The exploration is fun for awhile as you explore, but you are still basically limited in what you can actually find: its mostly more weapons (that you don't give a shit about because they'll break anyway), shrines (which you will get tired of after your 20th one), towers (same thing), the dragons (there are only three and only one has an extensive puzzle attached to it), korok seeds (self explanatory and getting them are just little puzzles that mostly require context clues and attention to detail), the four "required" Divine Beast mini dungeons (which aren't really required, as you can just skip them, and they barely count as dungeons, not to mention they all look the same), Hyrule Castle (the only thing necessary to complete the game and it doesn't require anything extra of you that you don't already start the game with; its even designed to feed you equipment so that even a player coming from the starting plateau can finish it), memory locations (few and are between and not particularly noteworthy) and the towns (which I'm counting Tarrey Town in, and they aren't particularly large or interesting to explore, unlike a full city would be).
Once again, I'm gonna have to disagree with you here.
The weapons I found very useful to find, especially once you've upgraded your inventory. Certain weapons work for better or worse in different situations (elemental types excel against their opposite, Guardian Weapons are better for the heavier enemies, etc), and by the end, I was so inundated with weapons thanks to me using the tools given to me that I was actually hoping that they'd break faster. And while the enemies may not be the most varied, the way in which you can approach them and how they react to your actions makes up for it. Much like in a game like F.E.A.R., the fact that every encounter can be different no matter how you approach the same task thanks to the AI and your creativity makes up for the lack of variety in design, at least to me.
While I do admit that not all of the shrines and towers are winners (the Test of Strength ones were repetitive I agree), neither did I get bored of finding them. Sometimes just getting to the shrine or tower was the puzzle in and off itself, and while the scenery in each shrine was samey, the freedom you were given in how you completed them made up for it. Again, like games such as Thief, System Shock, and Deus Ex, you're given all the tools needed to complete them, but the game takes a step back and leaves it up to you in terms of how you go about it. Should dungeons make a return, I'd much rather prefer they be more free-form like this, not overly scripted like several of the past Zelda titles. Same goes for the Divine Beasts with the journey just to enter them being memorable in my eyes.
The dragons are there to not only add a sense of wonder to the world, but also to allow you to gain valuable resources, and even a boost to your traveling, given that they also provide wind updrafts to allow you to quickly use the paraglider. While several of the Korok Seeds are indeed simplistic and predictable, they are mainly there simply to add in a small bonus to your exploration, and you don't need to find more than half of them to fill out your inventory.
Sure you could tackle Hyrule Castle at the beginning, but unless you have mastered the mechanics very early on in your playthrough (or are replaying the game), you'll get mulched almost instantly. It's mainly there at the beginning to, again, allow for flexibility in how you play the game. Heck, the towns I found to also be pretty cool, given that their layout and art-design differs depending on the location (from the very Japanese-styled Kakariko Village, to the tropical Lurelin Village). Heck, Tarrey Town has an entire quest attached to it, which also reflects the world slowly rebuilding itself after the calamity. Lastly, the memories are meant as a test of both your skills in exploration and memorization.
Its the definition of wide as an ocean but deep as a puddle. Once you've seen the basic stuff the game has to offer like the towers and shrines, it just doesn't have as much to offer you other than the base exploration.
Yeah, I can't disagree more with you on this, given the mechanical depth that the game provides and yes, encourages you to discover. Again, I often compare it to the works of Looking Glass and Ion Storm Austin for a reason. Because it very much plays in the vein of an immersive sim. Even to this day, people are still finding new ways to play it, simply because the tools it gives you are that flexible. And again, the towers and shrines having similar art-design is missing a lot of what they actually have you doing, and again, I found far more things in the world beyond just those two.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad game. But the lack of more enemy and encounter variety, lack of distinct towns and characters, lack of dungeons, lack of true weapon and item variety along with the durability issue, etc. all hurt this game in some ways.
And I've just mentioned why I think the strengths of the game far outweigh any flaws that you think bring it down. And heck, like I've described, I strongly disagree with your asssertation that the game "lacks variety" and that the durability prevents combat from being worth doing.
The excellent reviews by Matthewmatosis and especially Joseph Anderson both hit on this at some point, that there just isn't a lot of variation in what you do. What the game excels at is what everybody here has already described: environment manipulation and using the game's systems to your benefit.
I've never bothered to watch those videos, because they go on and on for hours when all I want is for them to get to the point already. It's one reason why I've grown to stop caring about videos from people like Mauler.
And I'd argue that the systems at play and the environment manipulation does in fact add variation to what you are doing. If one approach isn't working, find another one. The keys to the tool box are there. It's just up to you in terms of how you use it.
I know, I myself have gone on for far too long. But there is a reason why BOTW is my favorite game of the 2010s, and why I strongly disagree with your assertations that it "lacks variety", even if that is true on a few areas. The whole assertation that it's shallow is also one I really cannot get behind.
It's not a game for everyone, but for me, it still is one I enjoy.
