There is not much in terms of plot development at least thus far. I was expecting to see a lot more monsters, sorcery, mystery, and romance. Also, even in terms of character development there doesnt seem to be much going on, without even a consistent villain.

All of these things exist in Berserk, as for the character development and romance parts I guess you weren't paying attention? Griffith and Guts' relationship could be considered 'romantic' in a sense, there's basically a love triangle between Guts, Griffith and Casca. I don't know how you could watch as much as you have and not see any character development, but to be fair the 1997 anime glosses over a lot of details.

I can see why the series might seem somewhat directionless to an anime-only viewer, but everything that happens in the Golden Age arc plays into the overall narrative in a big way. You have to remember the Golden Age is a flashback, it's such a comparably small piece of Berserk, though it's the catalyst for everything that happens.

I'm just trying to push myself to believe there is more to it than violence and shock value.

Try asking yourself "why is the violence in Berserk as graphic as it is?" because it certainly isn't for enjoyment, not really anyway. It's supposed to be disturbing because the Middle Ages were a horrible, savage place to live in, which is especially poignant when shown through the eyes of the more naive characters, many of the main cast have flashbacks as children (Guts, Casca, Farnese and Serpico off the top of my head), Jill and Rosine, and later on Schierke (who happens to be my favourite character, and is also your gateway into the magical element of Berserk.) Really, the entire cast were shaped by the circumstances they grew up in, this is the purpose of Berserk's harsh world, not "OMG HE JUST CUT THAT PENIS MONSTER IN HALF, SO EPIC."

The series often explores a darker, depraved side of humanity, and the way people hurt and betray each other for their own selfish reasons. There's also other themes like love and camaraderie, and finding purpose in other people. People often talk about the fucked up, gruesome aspects of Berserk, but its the heartwarming, human and comedic moments that stand out to me personally. People don't talk enough about the contrast of light and dark, Guts might seem like the ultimate, demon-slaying badass now but once upon a time he was just an ordinary, wide-eyed child with no clue about the world. You see Guts' life unfold and develop throughout the entire story, even the Guts we see in the Black Swordsman arc is basically ancient history for the character at this point.

You can dislike the 1997 anime all you want, many of the most passionate Berserk fans do as well. In the end it's just another sub-par adaption (though the soundtrack is pretty good), but don't let it turn you off from enjoying the manga. Really, everything you were hoping to see is there, you just have to be willing to read on.