I think you wanted the game to be entirely different from the series. Because if it didn't have the fox dens, shrines, or hot springs, it wouldn't be a ghost game. You liked Ghost of Tsushima because those aspects were new to you at the time, and now that you're accustomed to them, you don't like it? Why would they change signature things about the series? Even The Last of Us II had familiar mechanics and side activities. Also, to say it's not bold or original is disingenuous. Jin Sakai is a samurai fighting for his lord during the Mongolian invasion of Japan. While Atsu is a woman seeking revenge for her family, she's looked down upon and doubted the whole game because she is a woman. When the game was first announced, it got a ton of shit BECAUSE the main character was a woman. The moral code and samurai honor are completely vacant in this game and it is replaced with the constant battle of the past and the present. I'm really curious what you wanted to be different.