It might be a hot take but I personally believe the "gameplay" does more to hold the game back than help it
I agree but the amount of secrets this game has is surprising, there are like 12 things tracked without telling the player, the wiki gives you a leg up and tells you what to look for. the first time i played this game was without the guide and it was crazy fun, i got up to where they were finished and was happy went back to the start and relised that most quest can be completed with diffrent routes i agree the game can hold your hand to much, but when you let go of the games hand you can explore freely for diffrent content.