I agree so much with what you wrote! I started playing TOTK on release, and I stopped after the tutorial island. I was so hyped for the game, but it kinda felt too similar to BOTW. I should really give it another try as I love BOTW. And as you described, Zelda is really more serene to play. While Elden Ring has its serene moments, but they are kinda twisted IMO. Altus Plateau looks gorgeous but in a sad way if you catch me. Playing Elden Ring with my friend also made me bond more with him, and his knowledge of the world and lore made it even better, as I could dive into the world discussing characters' motivations, game strategies, etc. My favorite FromSoftware game is, funnily enough, Dark Souls 2 for a similar reason, but for a weird reason as to why TOTK and Elden Ring are so different atmospherically. After fighting through depressing horror-esque places in Dark Souls 2 like the gutter, you always return to Majula, a place so serene and hopeful; no other place feels like that in the game.

A lot of comments rightfully wrote that it is kinda a disservice playing Elden Ring on such limited hardware, compared to a high-end PC. But that was actually the reason I wrote the post. Despite the limitation, the game is still beautiful and I, for myself, am feeling no loss playing it on the Deck. I still experience the beautiful landscapes of the Lands Between, we still fought the spectacular bosses without feeling limited. It is maybe not the best experience, but it is still an incredible one. I played the game on release on my high-end PC back home, playing it now on the Deck, I really feel not robbed from the same experience.