I felt like I was in the minority on not loving this game.

It's beautiful and charming, and a joy to exist in this version of hyrule. But it feels basic and repetitive and often bland. The shrines are fun, but the main dungeons are not. The bosses are forgettable, which is a shame considering Zelda is usually full of memorable bosses. The enemies aren't varied. And the combat system of easily-breakable weapons (even the master sword breaks after just a few swipes) is really unfun. I gave up on this game after completing two Divine Beasts. I just couldn't bring myself to play it any further

Some of the best combat in any game, even better than its predecessor. However, the dialogue is quippy and cringey with a lot of out-of-place modern day speak (moments like getting told by a squirrel to "get bent" really took me out of the moment), failed attempts at generating emotional moments that made my eyes roll (and sometimes even laugh out loud. Why are you trying to make me care about Birgir? I just met him 10 seconds ago!), and a plot that doesn't seem to know what it's trying to say, and ultimately doesn't really pose any real stakes for any of its characters. Also, the game treats you and Kratos like a dumb baby, blurring out "hints" the moment you come across a new environmental puzzle, then upon "solving" it, congratulating you like youre a special-needs child that accomplished a relatively simple task. Even the act of finding lore-rich collectibles to learn more about the world and its norse mythology is replaced with pointless easter-eggs of other playstation games. Huge disappointment.

Despite the story, writing, directing, and plenty of other things being really, really bad, I still 100% completed this game, because the impeccable combat and beautiful world kept me coming back.

Worth noting, Kratos's softer side and Freya's more fleshed out character were some redeeming factors with the story

Astounding world and encounters that never repeated in the near 100 hours I put into it. Memorable characters, an impactful story, and satisfying gunplay. This game is a benchmark for games as a storytelling medium. I tend to dislike Rockstar's game design, such as how buttons are always changing the actions they perform, so you can never truly feel like you've learned how to play the game. You are taught in the early game that pressing triangle is to pick up an object - like your hat on the floor. Later, you see some other object on the ground you wanna pick up? Well you have to press square to pick up that object, fuck you.