I find that I'm enjoying Breath of the Wild far more than I was Horizon. Sure, the world is abit more empty than say the usual open world games to a degree, because its a very large setting, but there's never not something to find. There are shrines everywhere, stables to visit for side quests or pick up your horse, a million korok's to find, towns to visit, and lots of gear and treasure to find. It's kinda like if you think there might be something in a spot, good chance there is. Miyamoto always talked about exploration in his youth being the drive behind the idea of Zelda and this is the first time that idea has ever been truly realized for Zelda. Its freedom really sets it apart from a lot of other open world games.
I don't know if I could say it's deserving of its near perfect score, even as a massive Zelda fan. The games performance isn't the best and I think weapon durability primarily for melee weapons is super low. Almost annoyingly low at times, even with weapons that feel more important than the others. There's also a few other nitpicks, but even saying that, it's still like a strong 9 for me. It's definitely a fantastic game and deserving of much of the praise it gets.