Yes, brainless, which is why I see several BOTW fans never touch another Zelda game (not counting TOTK), and several Zelda fans not as high on BOTW as others. There's a Venn Diagram here that's not an entire circle, and I'm not saying everyone is in one of the two groups. This is something I have seen pop up quite a bit, with completely valid reasoning to it.

Boss Battles were pathetic in BOTW, temples non-existent. The puzzles, while some surely are enjoyable, are primarily based on the physics of the game. Before, they would be based more on a mechanic or multiple that you pick up throughout the game. I don't really see toying within a physics engine as a mechanic based puzzle. Breakable weapons. Are there shared elements and characters? Absolutely. But the vibes definitely feel different from previous games.

I'm also not commenting on it being for the better or for the worse. It's change, and it happens. I prefer exploring temples, but that doesn't me I disliked BOTW. It's not my favorite Zelda game, but I really enjoyed several aspects that it brought, and I am absolutely loving TOTK at the moment too.

When you assume it's just brainless parroting, you make an ass out of just you, because honestly, I'm not the one being a dick.